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Globalization, Mobile Technology, and SocialMedia's Influence on Leadership CommunicationInvolving MillennialsRasheedah DunstonWalden University
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Walden University
College of Management and Technology
This is to certify that the doctoral dissertation by
Rasheedah Dunston
has been found to be complete and satisfactory in all respects, and that any and all revisions required by the review committee have been made.
Review Committee Dr. David Banner, Committee Chairperson, Management Faculty
Dr. Lilburn Hoehn, Committee Member, Management Faculty Dr. William Shriner, University Reviewer, Management Faculty
Chief Academic Officer Eric Riedel, Ph.D.
Walden University 2016
Abstract
Globalization, Mobile Technology, and Social Media’s Influence on Leadership
Communication Involving Millennials
by
Rasheedah Dunston
MBA, Rutgers University, 2003
BA, Rutgers University, 1993
Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment
of the Requirements for the Degree of
Doctor of Philosophy
Applied Management and Decision Sciences
Walden University
June 2016
Abstract
Current research identifies effective leadership communication, which includes frequent
direct conversational communication from company leaders, influences worker
performance during organizational change. Social media, mobile technology, and the
Millennial workforce have shifted leader communication style from purely top-down, town
hall style communication to incorporate more collaborative and engaging forums. The case
study addressed how globalization, social media, and mobile technology affects leadership
communication and then subsequently effects worker performance as Millennials join the
workforce. Qualitative data were collected from observations and interviews from a
purposeful selection of 9 Millennial employees, including 2 Millennial leaders, and 8 non-
Millennial leaders of a Fortune 100 company. The data were focused on leadership
communication during the leaders’ implementation of key company and organizational
structural changes, which centered on the company’s U.S. Location Strategy program. Data
analysis involved the identification of themes relating to current leadership communication
trends that included recognition that globalization requires updated technology and tools
along with communication of best practices. Encouraging employees to share these tools
and resources trend improvement in company performance. These findings contribute to
social change by producing information about how globalization, Millennials, social media,
and mobile technology use influenced leadership communication and effectiveness. The
adaption and use of newer technology has influenced leadership communication
effectiveness. Company leaders could use this information to implement changes that help
employees communicate better within their workforce.
Globalization, Mobile Technology, and Social Media’s Influence on Leadership
Communication Involving Millennials
by
Rasheedah Dunston
MBA, Rutgers University, 2003
BA, Rutgers University, 1993
Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment
of the Requirements for the Degree of
Doctor of Philosophy
Applied Management and Decision Sciences
Walden University
June 2016
Dedication To my parents, Melvin and Ernestine Dunston, who provided constant
encouragement and unwavering support throughout my Ph. D. program and my life.
i
Table of Contents
List of Tables ..................................................................................................................... iv
List of Figures ..................................................................................................................... v
Chapter 1: Introduction to the Study ................................................................................... 1
Introduction ................................................................................................................... 1
Background ................................................................................................................... 3
Problem Statement ........................................................................................................ 4
Purpose of the Study ..................................................................................................... 5
Research Questions ....................................................................................................... 6
Theoretical Framework ................................................................................................. 7
Nature of the Study ....................................................................................................... 9
Definition of Terms ..................................................................................................... 10
Assumptions ................................................................................................................ 11
Scope and Delimitations ............................................................................................. 12
Limitations .................................................................................................................. 12
Significance of the Study ............................................................................................ 13
Summary ..................................................................................................................... 14
Chapter 2: Literature Review ............................................................................................ 17
Introduction ................................................................................................................. 17
Literature Search Strategy ........................................................................................... 17
Theoretical Foundation ............................................................................................... 19
Literature Review ........................................................................................................ 24
ii
Leadership Communication .................................................................................. 25
Studies on Leadership Communication ................................................................ 26
The Focus on Leadership Communication for Millennials .................................. 29
Communication Changed With Globalization ...................................................... 32
Communication Changed with Social Media ....................................................... 37
Communication Changed with Mobile Technology ............................................. 42
Communication Challenges for Existing Leaders ................................................ 49
Summary and Conclusions ......................................................................................... 57
Chapter 3: Research Method ............................................................................................. 60
Introduction ................................................................................................................. 60
Research Design and Rationale .................................................................................. 61
Role of Researcher ...................................................................................................... 63
Methodology ............................................................................................................... 64
Participant Selection Logic ................................................................................... 64
Instrumentation ..................................................................................................... 66
Procedures for Recruitment, Participation, and Data Collection .......................... 70
Data Analysis Plan ................................................................................................ 72
Issues of Trustworthiness ............................................................................................ 74
Protection of Participants’ Rights and Informed Consent .................................... 77
Ethical Procedures ................................................................................................ 78
Summary ..................................................................................................................... 80
Chapter 4: Results ............................................................................................................. 82
iii
Research Setting .......................................................................................................... 83
Demographics ............................................................................................................. 84
Data Collection ........................................................................................................... 85
Data Analysis .............................................................................................................. 87
Evidence of Trustworthiness ....................................................................................... 94
Credibility ............................................................................................................. 94
Transferability ....................................................................................................... 95
Dependability ........................................................................................................ 96
Confirmability ....................................................................................................... 96
Study Results .............................................................................................................. 97
Summary ................................................................................................................... 116
Chapter 5: Discussion, Conclusions, and Recommendations ......................................... 118
Interpretation of Findings ......................................................................................... 118
Limitations of the Study ............................................................................................ 120
Recommendations ..................................................................................................... 121
Implications ............................................................................................................... 121
Conclusions ............................................................................................................... 122
References ....................................................................................................................... 124
Appendix A: Observation Worksheet ............................................................................. 138
Appendix B: Interview Questions ................................................................................... 140
Appendix C: Letter of Cooperation from a Community Research Partner .................... 143
Appendix D: Informed Consent Form for Interviews ..................................................... 144
iv
List of Tables
Table 1. Observation Worksheet Aligning Observations With the Research Questions .. 67
Table 2. Interview Protocol Aligning Interviews With the Research Questions .............. 68
v
List of Figures
Figure 1. A word cloud of the top 100 words used in interviews..............................89
1
Chapter 1: Introduction to the Study
Introduction
Globalization, technology, media, and workforce demographic changes in
companies are occurring simultaneously; in response, corporate leaders implement deep
structural organizational changes as well as ongoing, longer-term changes as necessary.
Communication is key to producing positive effects related to worker performance during
organizational changes (Abugre, 2011). In this study, I explored the potential impact that
recent changes in mobile technology, social media, and globalization might have on
leader communication when company leaders interact with Millennial employees.
Furthermore, I explored how leadership communication style could affect worker
performance.
Millennials, or Generation Y, are individuals born between the years 1976 and
2001 (Sincavage, 2004). Part of the Millennials' business impact lies in their use of
social networks. Their personal use of social networks has permeated into the workplace.
Social networks are more than a convenience. They are also business tools that
companies use to interact with customers, forming a social networking business forum.
Savitz (2012) stated that social networking for business, “puts the onus on managers to
learn which tools best balance ease of use and employee familiarity with security,
accountability, and productivity” (p. 1).
At the inception of my study, Lee and Cho (2011) summed up an expected trend,
which indicated that there would be increases in social networking and mobile use over
the next few years. The Pew Research Center (2015) stated that in the United States, “As
2
of July 2015, 76% of online adults use social networking sites” (Media and Technology-
Social Networking Use). Twitter had 316 million active accounts and Facebook more
than 1 billion as of active accounts. Through this study I assess how the spread of social
media use impacted leader communications.
People use social media to exchange ideas and communicate almost
instantaneously. This shift in speed and ability to communicate information has changed
the way people share information socially and at work (Aichner & Jacob, 2015). With
Millennials as the largest group adapting this communication style and growing as a large
part of the workforce, communication styles and tools have changed to allow more two-
way communication and collaboration at companies (Aichner & Jacob, 2015; Cardon &
Marshall, 2015).
A business's immersion into social media must be strategic. Culnan, McHugh,
and Zubillaga (2010) stressed, “Merely creating a presence on a social media platform
(e.g., launching a corporate Facebook page) does not ensure the implementation will
create value” (p. 246). There needs to be a strategy and business commitment to monitor,
track trends, and use and respond to the people and information on the platform
effectively. However, company leaders often lag behind society when adopting new
technology or innovation because a company must implement changes effectively for its
business (Day, 2011). Social media is not different from other new technology in this
respect; however, now that organizations have begun to incorporate more social forums
and mobile technology into business processes, there is a need to examine how this
change may impact leadership communication.
3
Background
Innovation impacts society increasingly over time (Lee & Cho, 2011). In
particular, mobile and social media sites have had a significant effect on society,
especially over the past 10 years, and especially on Millennials. More than 75% of
Millennials are social media users, making this generation the largest population of users
as compared to other generations (Lee & Cho, 2011; Pew Research Center, 2010).
Mobile devices, mobile applications, and social media has integrated into workplaces
(Savitz, 2012, p. 1). Today, more than half of adults in the United States who go online
use two or more social media sites, a Pew Research Center survey conducted in
September 2014 (Pew Research Center, 2015). Individuals in the Millennial generation
have influenced business in the United States through the devices they use in the same
way they have impacted society (Jackson, 2011; Understanding the Millennial consumer,
2012).
This case study helped to identify effective leadership communication specific to
Millennials in the context of one company’s global expansion and organizational changes
implemented from 2010 to 2015. Specifically, I was interested in following leader
communication methods and style with Millennial employees and how it would evolve
based on new technology, social media, and globalization. One theme that surfaced was
the shift to more collaborative, interactive communication between leaders and
employees. Groysberg and Slind (2012) stated, “One-way, top-down communication
between leaders and their employees is no longer useful or even realistic. Today’s
leaders achieve far more engagement and credibility when they take part in genuine
4
conversation with the people who work for and with them” (p. 78). I explored this
communication trend as part of this study.
Recently, researchers have started to look at communication factors with respect
to technology, social media, and globalization. Organizations across the United States
recognized the need to transform and evolve to accommodate changing technology, and
organizational demographics, as well as increased emphasis on values and social norms,
societal and community behavior (Mason, 2012, p. 5). Although more studies and
articles about globalization, mobile technology, and social media surfaced in 2015, most
focused on the social impact or current business trends in convenience, marketing, and
advertising when using media and technology to reach customers. This research
examined internal business impacts between leaders and employees.
Problem Statement
The problem addressed in this case study is a gap in the literature, which does not
include significant information about how globalization, social media, and mobile
technology may affect leadership communication and then subsequently effect worker
performance as more Millennials joined the workforce. When companies lack the people
and structures needed to implement or react to external changes and new technology it
can impact a company’s competitiveness (Day, 2011). The influx of Millennials into the
workforce in the United States along with social media, mobile technology, and
globalization changed the way company leaders communicate with employees
(Groysberg & Slind, 2012).
5
Research on leadership communication and generational differences suggests that
Millennial workers place increasing value on collaboration and integrity (Eisner, 2005;
Hewlett, Sherbin, & Sumberg, 2009; Penney, 2011). Moreover, social media,
technology, and Millennials have shifted leader communication styles from purely top-
down, town hall style communication to incorporate more collaborative and engaging
forums (Groysberg & Slind, 2012; Penney, 2011). However, prior literature did not
include significant information about how globalization, mobile technology, social
media, and generational shifts in the workforce collectively may affect leadership
communication and the subsequent effect on worker performance. This dissertation case
study was designed to address this gap in the literature.
As part of this case study I collected interview and observation data to better
explore the associations between new technology, social media, and globalization as it
relates to communication processes. This study was designed to contribute to social
change by improving leadership awareness of the best communication practices and
helping leaders understand the impact of them so that better practices can be applied to
benefit individual and company performance.
Purpose of the Study
The purpose of this study was to surface new information about leadership
communication. I assessed Millennial employees and leaders in a Fortune 100 company
to determine their preferred leadership communication style in light of globalization,
mobile technology, and social media. I used interviews, observations of employees over
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time, leadership meeting materials, and company survey results to triangulate my
findings.
Business leadership and leadership communication are important factors with
significant financial repercussions. Companies that attract, develop, and retain the best
leaders are most likely to flourish (Smallwood, Ulrich, and Zenger, 1999). Further,
Hewlett, Sherbin, and Sumberg (2009), in their statements regarding the effects of
Millennials and the Boomer generations, emphasized that managers must remain flexible,
must be open to new ideas, and establish relevant growth plans to sustain talent in the
workplace. However, the most effective approach for leadership communication with
Millennials was unclear.
This study explored how leadership communication with Millennials may
improve through better understanding of available leadership communication methods
and current impacts in the context of this study. I used case study design to explore
effective leader communication. The goal was to discover new information about
effective leader communication with Millennials. The data brought out several themes in
the responses and observations of the employees, leaders, and other associates, which
helped me to meet the goal and promote social change as I shared the ideas throughout
the study.
Research Questions
The overarching research question investigated in this study was, “Have
globalization, technology, and social media have influenced leadership communication
styles with Millennials and, if so, how?”. I explored this with six subquestions:
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1. What is the perceived impact of globalization, mobile technology, and social
media on leadership communication styles and effectiveness?
2. How do employees use more collaborative, two-way communication as the
company applies new strategy and undergoes shifts in location?
3. How are the combination of globalization, mobile technology, and social
media affecting the style, delivery, and forums for communication at work,
and how does each impact the way that leaders communicate differently?
4. What is the relationship between globalization and collaborative forums such
as social media?
5. How are certain communication methods or styles more effective than
others for leaders, individual contributors, or both?
6. How do two-way, frequent communication influence company performance in
Millennials, including adherence and achievement of set goals?
I chose a qualitative design because this design allowed me to make observation notes
and interview participants to reveal unanticipated communication behaviors.
Theoretical Framework
The theoretical framework for this study was a combination of several theories:
change theory (Argyris, 1972; Bennis, Benne & Chin, 1961; Nadler, 1998), leader-
member exchange (LMX) theory (Northouse, 2012), transformational leadership theory
(Bass, 1985), and situational leadership theory (Blanchard and Hersey, 1996). Each
theory represents a different dimension of leadership that demonstrates the effects of
leadership communication within the organization, company, and society. With
8
significant increases in business globalization, mobile technology usage, and social
media, the potential exists for research to expound on these theories for exploration of
possible communication impacts. The selected theories provided the foundation for this
study and the rationale to determine why the company leaders may have needed to adjust
how they communicate to most effectively lead the organization as the company faces
changes prompted by external and internal factors.
Change theory discussed by Benne, Bennis, and Chin (1961) showed the
importance of communication between associates and between leaders and associates
while Nadler (1998) discussed the need for communication across the organization so
that employees connect to the leader’s strategy throughout change process. Argyris
(1972) emphasized that there pros and cons of organizational structure and grouping;
subdividing a group helps to give employees identification and purpose, but it also
complicates leader communication and how leaders implement organizational change.
These change theorists’ work helped to shape the problem and purpose of my study as I
researched the influence of globalization, mobile technology, and social media on
leadership communication within a changing organization.
Leader-member exchange (LMX) theory (Northouse, 2012) focuses on how the
impact of proximity of leaders to employees could impact the quality of communication
or the exchange of information. Transformational leadership theory (Bass, 1985) proved
that the characteristics of a leader, leading with passion and the ability to communicate
well to connect to followers influences leaders success when transforming an
organization. While situational leadership theory (Blanchard and Hersey, 1996) spoke to
9
the need for leaders to flex and adjust how and what they communicate based on the
employee’s needs. I will provide more detailed explanations of these theories and its
relationship to my study in Chapter Two. Each theory provided insight that helped me
determine the research questions that I wanted to focus on throughout my case study.
Nature of the Study
I selected a case study approach for this research to allow me to explore how
globalization, mobile technology, and social media may influence changes in leader
communication. I explored leadership communication for Millennial generation workers
in the context of company leader implementation of organizational changes; these
leaders were implementing key company and organizational structural changes centered
on a company’s U.S. location strategy.
Face-to-face interviews included questions to prompt conversation about
how employees and leaders use technology and social media currently and reviewed
influences on company leadership communication. Additional data sources analyzed
included leadership meeting materials, organizational meetings, and company survey
results.
All data sources were cross-referenced throughout the study to verify information
across sources who responded to the research questions. I interviewed several
participants in the beginning of the study and triangulated the data with quarterly meeting
material and survey data that I collected over time. I reviewed the information as it was
received to inform the study and to assess any changes over time. Additionally, I
10
documented my observations over several months to understand any perceptual changes
over time.
I observed interview participants and then engaged with the participants
periodically throughout the duration of the research and as needed, based on the data,
themes, and categories that emerged. During data collection, coding, and data analysis I
determined the need to split up the interviews so that they all did not occur in the
beginning of the study because different locations and business functions were in
different phases of implementation of the location strategy. This was a key factor in
shifting my study approach to stagger the interviews to better assess the changes over
time. Throughout the study I looked for information that reinforced new ideas that
contributed to a comprehensive report on the findings included in Chapter 5.
Definition of Terms
To determine the leadership needs in a process of forming a geographically
boundary-less corporate structure, it is essential to include a working definition of leader,
globalization, and collaboration tools for reference.
Company leaders: The leaders of interest in this study are those who influence
company organization and success, including officers, executives, managers, and
informal leaders involved in company change.
Globalization: This refers to the worldwide influence of a company in terms of
employees, marketing, sales, and/or manufacturing to increase business opportunities and
results.
11
Collaboration tools: These tools include software, such as Microsoft SharePoint,
Cisco Telepresence, or other tools that help facilitate collaboration on common goals or
projects shared by a team, forum, or other group. Collaboration tools also include social
networks, intranet portals, websites, telepresence, and tools for document and file
management.
Assumptions
Assumptions underlying this research include the following:
1. Effective leadership communication strategy is necessary to connect leaders
and followers and to help produce positive results.
2. Company change is inevitable, and any change, either external or internal,
requires changes in strategy.
3. Effective leadership communication styles for Millennials are different from
those used for employees from previous generations.
4. The Millennials invited to participate in this study will openly express their
views regarding effective leadership communication to the researcher, a
fellow employee and professional.
5. The Millennials invited to participate in this study have college degrees and at
least one year of work experience, which I assumed to be sufficient exposure
to the corporate environment to provide informed answers to the interview
questions.
6. Technology, globalization, and social media have led to the need for
leadership communication style changes, and generational differences
12
introduced by the Millennial adoption of these tools will drive changes in
leadership communication style that further exacerbates the leadership
communication problem.
Scope and Delimitations
The focus of this research is on Millennials, although the factors previously
mentioned may affect other generations. Also, I limited the discussion of leadership
communication to how it relates to impacts caused by globalization, mobile technology,
and social media, and as experienced by Millennials.
I confined the study interview participants to 17 U.S. employees—both leaders
and individual contributors—having exposure to global employees of one Fortune 100
Company that sat for 60-90 minute in person interviews. Additionally, I observed 16
quarterly town hall style meetings held by various company executives with global
associates as well as any ten interim meetings and announcements that occurred over
eighteen months.
Limitations
Although I made every attempt to include a diverse group of participants, the
sample may not adequately represent the full population of company employees.
Additionally, due to the rapid changes in technology, the data only applied to current
thoughts, views, and experiences. These data points can, however, be used to predict
future trends and possibilities.
Since the study focused on Millennials exposed to leadership communication in
the context of the target company, the opinions expressed may not represent worldwide
13
views of other Millennial professionals. Furthermore, these Millennial participants may
have limited experience that reflects narrow views of the corporate environment.
However, since this study concerns the influence of globalization, mobile technology,
and social media on Millennials, the participants provided useful insights about
communication phenomena since they are demographically the largest global user group.
This topic is relevant to current activities occurring at the company. I was
challenged to recognize and control my bias. However, since I am not a Millennial, I
counteracted any personal bias by leveraging the participants’ input as the primary data
source. Although the data is not generalizable beyond the sample, I targeted a sample
appropriate in the context of this case study.
Significance of the Study
This study was necessary because it helped determine new information about how
leaders and managers may elicit stronger performance from workers. The problem is that
significant information about how globalization, social media, and mobile technology
may affect leadership communication and then subsequently effect worker performance
as more Millennials joined the workforce does not exist. Mobile technology and
communication tools can make leadership communication more complex than in previous
years when information was not as easily accessible. Currently, a company’s leaders and
workers may operate in several regions throughout the world, so employees depend on
the Internet, teleconferences, video teleconferencing (VTC), and other technology to
communicate effectively. These are necessary tools and means of communication. By
14
interviewing newer employees, this study helps company leaders understand how
communication style can affect worker performance.
Since technology has changed globally, it has become more challenging for
company managers and leaders to communicate with workers. Mobile technology, social
media, and the growing number of Millennials in the workforce have increased these
challenges even more. Therefore, the target participants in the study, Millennial
employees and leaders, included several ethnicities and races as well as both males and
females. I explored leadership communication with respect to the leaders’
implementation of multiple layers of organizational changes. The study will help
advance knowledge about leader communication as Millennials and leaders that work in
the corporate environment share their insights.
The results of this case study provided information to help leaders understand new
communication trends based on the data derived from interviews, observations, and
coding. The goal of the study was to help understand key communication methods used
in current contexts, and then determine further action in new applications. I will promote
social change by helping employees and leaders learn and share information that will
allow them to work better together. This research will serve companies by providing
information about the potential changes to leadership communication in any global
company and could also inform uses in other contexts.
Summary
The intent of this study was to determine actions that might improve company
leadership communication. The problem is that the influx of Millennials into the
15
workforce along with the influence of several factors simultaneously on companies may
have created the need to change the way leaders communicate with employees; however,
there were not many studies on the topic since these influences are still relatively new.
Recent literature indicates that Millennials (or Gen Y), a term commonly used to describe
those born between 1977 and 2000, have adopted social media and mobile technology at
a faster rate than other generations (Pew Research Center, 2010). This has made a
significant impact on communication.
Social media, technology, and the Millennial workforce may have driven the need
for company leaders to change from top-down, town hall style communication to
incorporate more collaborative, engaging forums for communication (Hastings, 2012).
The purpose of this study was to understand the effects of recent phenomena (i.e.,
changes in leadership communication from solely top-down, town hall style, to a two-
way, conversational style). I specifically explored the impacts of (a) changing workforce
makeup, (b) globalization, and (c) the emersion of social media and mobile technology
on Millennial worker performance using a theoretical framework in the context of a
Fortune 100 global company.
This case study analyzed the behaviors and responses of 17 Millennial
employees, and leaders to verify leadership communication effectiveness theory,
and to solidify ways to improve leadership communication and respective
organizational performance throughout the implementation of the company
location strategy. For this study, in lieu of generalizability, I sought to inform as
themes surfaced. I used the case study approach to cross-
16
reference data sources and then to produce new information that can be used by
industry leaders. Since this study used the same set of interview questions with
different participants, it allowed me to triangulate information gathered from the
Millennial participants, current leaders, organizational meetings, organizational
surveys, and my own observations.
In Chapter 1, I presented the purpose of this proposed study—to
investigate the influence of globalization, mobile technology, and social media on
leadership communication styles with Millennials. In Chapter 2, I present a
review of the relevant literature, and Chapter 3 discusses the study methodology.
17
Chapter 2: Literature Review
Introduction
This chapter includes a critical review of articles in current academic, peer-
reviewed journals, as well as in books and contemporary online sources, that deal with
the topic of leadership communication: (a) leadership communication studies; (b)
Millennial influence; (c) globalization, technology, and social media impacts on
communication; and (d) leadership challenges today. Each topic is presented as it relates
to the current leadership communication trends and Millennials. This review concludes
with a summary of the findings in the literature about leadership communication and how
these factors are changing the way people communicate with each other.
The problem that I addressed in this case study is a gap in the literature, which
does not include significant information about how globalization, social media, and
mobile technology may affect leadership communication and then subsequently effect
worker performance as more Millennials joined the workforce. The purpose of this study
was to surface new information about leadership communication. The literature review
includes recent information that led to this study topic.
Literature Search Strategy
While reading through the literature I found several themes including technology
innovation, leadership strategy, leadership communication style, leadership effectiveness,
globalization, Millennials, social media, and leadership communication. I used these key
search terms as criteria to select recent articles that would be relevant to this study. The
selection of the search engine and databases was a key part of the successful searches,
18
which primarily leveraged EBSCOhost search of the Business Source Complete database
and occasionally used the Education Research Complete database as well as other
databases (even opting to select all in one search). I narrowed my focus to Millennials to
streamline the research scope.
The initial search attempts included combinations of all the named search terms;
however, this was not successful. Subsequent searches used varied combinations of the
search terms to find relevant topics since there was not an exact match. Another search
iteration included search terms of Millennials and leadership. A key search focused on
business use of social media. I wanted to read recent literature about the current
workforce, especially experiences with Millennials.
A search that focused on Millennials yielded several articles that point out leaders
as a key force in how well the exchange occurs between older generations and
Millennials. Another key thought is that leaders respond to each generation differently
based on their mindset and values. Millennial workers are different from previous
generations because they value having a purpose more than previous generations
(Penney, 2010). Additionally, the literature indicated that Millennials communicate
differently because they grew up with technology such as the Internet and social media as
commonplace.
The latest searches focused on leadership communication and leadership
communication studies, which brought out the evolution of leadership communication
and the communication tools available over the past decade.
19
Theoretical Foundation
The theoretical framework underpinning this research stated that effective
leadership communication influences worker performance. The theories reference
included organizational change theory (Argyris, 1972; Bennis, Benne & Chin, 1961;
Nadler, 1998), leader-member exchange (LMX) theory (Northouse, 2012),
transformational leadership theory (Bass, 1985), and situational leadership theory
(Blanchard and Hersey, 1996). The introduction of mobile technology, social media, and
the movement towards globalization may affect company leader communication
effectiveness. Additionally, more frequent, conversational communication from
company leaders may improve Millennial employee performance.
This case study involved the collection of qualitative data from Millennial
employees and leaders of a Fortune 100 company regarding leadership communication.
For the purpose of this study I explored leadership communication using existing
literature from a theoretical perspective. Change theory, LMX theory, Situational
leadership theory, as well as transformational leadership theory provided foundational
information that I applied to the subject organization in this study as it underwent
workforce, structural, and geographical changes to build on these theories.
Bennis, Benne, and Chin’s (1961) theory of group development states that
improvements in communication help to mature an organization. Benne et al argued that
a group must master internal communication systems that allow the group to function
appropriately, resolving internal conflicts, mobilizing resources as needed, and taking
intelligent action. They emphasized two phases that mark the growth pattern:
20
• Phase I, dependence, in which the group looks for a common goal and desires
approval from the authority figure; and
• Phase II, interdependence, in which the group attention moves to the problem
of shared responsibility, group affiliation, and affection—similar attitudes “as
a group” toward authoritative figures.
Bennis et al. (1961) maintained that growth (moving from Phase I to Phase II) requires
that group members can communicate and help each other, and that leaders must
understand any barriers to communication. Leaders must determine the group
characteristics necessary to ensure communication effectiveness and top performance.
Nadler (1998), like Bennis et al. (1961), refers to organizations as social systems
and states that each system comprises four "tightly interrelated components (pp. 9-12)":
1. the work
2. the people
3. the formal organization, and
4. the informal organization (values, attitude, beliefs, communication style,
behavioral standards, etc).
According to Nadler (1998), each component must fit the strategy before the strategy can
succeed (p. 12). Communication must be integrated into organizational change. Nadler
(1998) further states that change strategy should include the whole organization even if
everyone will agree with it (p. 161). Workers must be included and share a common
understanding to successfully implement strategy. Therefore, communication of action
21
and goals is imperative and must describe the new vision and culture to be achieved as a
result of organizational changes.
Argyris (1972) stated that difficult communication can as a product of structural
differentiation, stating that any criterion, basis, or rationale for dividing members of a
group into ranks or subunits has impact, contributing to the complexity of
communication. Each group has its own goals, strategies, and values. As more groups
are subdivided, more ideals, goals, and sense of purpose are presented, which makes it
harder for any communication or change implementation to occur, because naturally
everyone values their own thoughts and conclusions more highly than those of others
(Simmons, 2006, p. 3). However, organizations often complicate communication by
continually executing structural differentiation with the increasing number of supervisors
or units (Argyris, 1972, p. 15).
Leader-member exchange (LMX) theory focuses on the interactions between
leaders and followers. It further stated that differences in the level of exchange might
exist between the leader and each individual follower because a leader does not interact
with the group uniformly. The theory references in-groups and out-groups, which
represent followers who have a higher-quality exchange with the leader versus those who
have a lesser-quality exchange. This theory was developed in the 1970s, and subsequent
studies have shown that LMX positively affects employee performance according to the
quality of the exchange (Northouse, 2012). Additionally, high-quality leader-member
exchange leads to positive organizational outcomes (Northouse, 2012).
22
Historically, both transformational leadership and situational leadership have
proven successful during organizational change. Transformational Leadership theory
maintained that people with vision and passion can influence others, and Situational
Leadership Theory stated that effective leaders apply varied styles based on the situation.
Transformational Leadership (Bass, 1985) surfaced often in the literature
surveyed for this study. Transformational Leadership Theory suggests that companies
need visionary leaders to implement several dimensions of change that often occur
simultaneously in today’s organizations. Since technology is constantly improving and
changing, leaders must understand the characteristics and skillset needed for today’s
leaders as well as future leaders to handle the changes imposed by mobile technology,
social media, and globalization within the next generation. Regarding transformational
leadership, Clawson (2009) stated that, “regardless of how articulate they are in a
conventional sense, leaders find a way to convey their visions in unmistakable terms to
their constituents” (p. 461). In transformational leadership, effective communication is
imperative to ensure that messaging and visions are well understood throughout the
workforce.
Paul Hersey and Ken Blanchard developed the Situational Leadership Theory in
the 1970s (Gates, Blanchard, & Hersey, 1976). They determined individual leaders’ style
(or others’ perception of their style) using a three-dimensional approach that includes (1)
task behavior, (2) relationship behavior, and (3) effectiveness, with task and relationship
being the central concepts to determine appropriate leadership communication style
required to be effective in each specific situation. Their theory stated, “successful leaders
23
are those who can adapt their behavior to meet the demands of their own unique
environment” (Hersey & Blanchard, 1981, p. 38). Since communication is a key attribute
in both Transformational Leadership and Situational Leadership theories, I refer to
concepts from these theories as they relate to leadership communication in this study.
Some of the key concepts of effective leadership communication include the
following: (a) companies and their organizations need leadership communication; (b)
individuals from different generations respond to leadership communication differently;
(c) changes brought about by technological innovation impact leadership communication;
and (d) leadership communication effectiveness will influence worker performance. The
intersection of globalization, mobile technology, and social media along with the advent
of greater numbers of Millennials into the workforce may require that company leaders
adopt new communication styles to be effective.
Similar to the seminal leadership communication theories that serves as the
framework for this study, recent studies have shown that leaders who communicate
effectively will positively impact employee performance. Rouse and Schuttler (2009)
studied the effect of absent or confusing organizational leadership and communication in
the context of the 2008 financial crisis. They found that the financial crisis, similar to
any external factors or major shifts impacting society, could introduce the need for
change in leader communication.
Rouse and Schuttler (2009) correlated red, yellow, and green zone leader
categorizations, as defined by the authors, with worker performance levels. They
believed that green zone leaders exhibited behaviors such as proactive communication,
24
meaningful feedback, and effective mentoring, which resulted in highly valued employee
performance including innovative problem-solving skills and perceived empowerment.
Red zone leaders exhibited undesired behaviors with consequently lower performance
from workers in that category. Yellow represented the middle zone.
A study conducted by Neufeld, Zeying, and Yulin (2010) researched leadership
performance with respect to communication and leader-worker proximity and leadership
theory. Neufeld et al. stated in their results that managers must act on their beliefs
through effective communication. This study expanded the Rouse and Schuttler (2009)
findings by showing that not only is leader communication important, but the proximity
of the leaders to the employees influence the degree of performance. My study expands
on these theories by producing new information about how globalization, mobile
technology, and social media influence leader communication in a changing corporate
environment.
Literature Review
Social media, mobile technology, and globalization have individually impacted
how companies operate (Groysberg & Slind, 2012; Lee, 2010; Roberts, 2012). Several
articles discussed each impact and their combined impact as factors that challenge
company leaders (Penney, 2011; Savitz, 2012). Social media and mobile device use,
primarily influenced by Millennials, has transitioned from social environments into
business environments. As this trend continues, the need to evolve guidelines for
appropriate use of personal electronic devices in a business context is quickly becoming
an imperative (Jackson, 2011). Leaders must determine the group characteristics that will
25
be necessary to understand in order to ensure communication effectiveness and top
performance. Good communication between leaders and workers is essential.
Leadership Communication
Globalization goals have triggered organizational change at the company level,
and these factors have collided with the shift in the workforce makeup. Leaders must be
skilled and flexible in their willingness to learn and respond to organizational changes
(Hickman, 2010). Leadership flexibility is another theme in many articles regarding
Millennials. Millennial workers require flexibility in when and where they work
(Yeaton, 2008; Eisner, 2005). This is especially important to keep in mind in dealing
with the four generations currently active in today’s workforce. Also, as technology is
constantly improving and changing, it is important to understand the characteristics and
skillset needed for today’s leaders as well as future leaders to handle the communication
changes imposed by mobile technology, social media, and globalization.
Articles about leadership communication explored current influences and trends
in contemporary organizations with respect to its impact on employee performance.
Several articles explored leadership trends and contemporary concerns such as how
globalization and technology have intersected to create new challenges for future leaders
because of how vast companies and their organizations have grown to be boundary-less
(Neera, Anjanee, & Shoma, 2010). The speed at which news and information travel poses
new challenges that leaders must manage.
Other articles discuss innovation impacts on society increasingly over time (Lee
and Cho, 2011; Pew Research Center, 2015). Specifically, mobile devices and social
26
media sites have had a significant effect on society, especially over the past ten years,
with a more concentrated impact on Millennials since more than 75% of Millennials are
social network users (Lee & Cho, 2011, pp. 71-76). Day (2011) highlighted traditional
organizational rigidity as a key issue. Company leaders often have difficulty keeping
pace with external impacts as companies expand, grow, and adjust to accommodate
innovation. Since innovation is a key factor in companies’ ability to remain competitive,
not having the right leaders or adequate structures in place needed to implement,
communicate about, or react to changes and new technology can be detrimental.
Studies on Leadership Communication
Leadership communication theory from a decade ago explored face-to-face versus
electronic communication. De Vries, Bakker-Pieper, and Oostenveld (2010) cited a 2004
study showing that people more often choose direct contact with other people rather than
use the Internet as the initial source of information. In another article written in 2002, the
authors focused on email as a primary electronic source for communication. Baldoni
(2002) emphasized that relevance of proximity as well by highlighting that face-to-face
communications work best when leaders discuss employees’ performance. However, in
this same article the author emphasized that effective communication required two-way
communication that flows from the top down and from the bottom up.
When leaders talk to employees it is important to ensure employees understand
the information. Employees must also have a way to communicate their thoughts and
views to leaders. Baldoni (2002) emphasized, “If only leaders speak, the organization as
a whole is silent…[O] rganizations that emphasize communications seem to have a
27
greater sense of purpose and unity [when associates] keep one another informed” (pp. 4-
5). Part of good communication is listening to others and ensuring that the information is
not only heard, but also understood.
A more recent study by De Vries et al. (2010) explored the question of whether
leadership equals communication in government organizations. The study’s goal was to
define measures for leadership communication and uncover relationships between
existing leadership styles (i.e., more communicative versus less communicative) on
worker performance. Similar to rouse and Schuttler (2009), the study found that
leadership communication quality correlates to worker performance quality.
Another key finding was that leaders’ communication styles were strongly related
to knowledge-sharing behaviors, perceived leader performance, employees’ satisfaction
with the leader, and team commitment (De Vries et al., 2010, p. 367). A limitation of the
study, as noted by De Vries et al. (2010), was that “[it neglected to include] data from
different sources or to use different methods to measure the predictor and criteria
variables” (p. 377). My study leveraged the information from this study using different
data sources, focusing on the Millennial demographic, and exploring the named external
factors as possible predictors or criteria that could influence leadership communication in
the context of this case study.
Chang, Chuang, and Chao (2011) explored the impacts of cultural adaption,
communication quality, and trust on virtual team performance in their study. They stated
that globalization increased the need for organizations to form virtual teams across
nations, which created the need to explore performance impacts and measures unique to
28
virtual teams. Chang et al. highlighted that “characteristics emerge which emphasise the
specific nature of the virtual teams: geographic separation of team members, identified
need to perform work in virtual settings, and use of alternative methods of
communication with increased emphasis on electronic interaction” (p. 307). Further,
effective communication is essential to success of virtual teams (Chang et al., 2011). The
study also reinforces LMX theory in its finding that more personal and quality contact
resulted in improved team relations and the team’s consequent success.
Some articles define communication as the exchange of information because it is
a two-way exchange involving speaking and listening used to engage employees, deliver
a message, or increase understanding (Baldoni, 2004; Nicholson, 2011; Thompson,
2011). In this study I explored the impact that globalization, social media, and mobile
technology may have on leadership communication behaviors with Millennials.
However, since leadership communication effectiveness varies based on its context and
how leaders execute it, I used the interviews to get more information about leadership
communication style.
The studies in this section showed the correlation between good leadership
communication and positive employee performance results. I have used these studies as
a basis for my study and expanded on the theory that leader communications impact
performance to understand how globalization, social media, and mobile technology may
influence how leaders and associates communicate in order to share and receive
information.
29
Today mobile technology and social technology have emerged to allow people to
connect directly in two-way exchanges of information on the Internet. In this study I
explored whether these Internet-empowered factors are still considered a secondary
source for information by understanding how associates primarily communicate today for
work. I also assessed how information is received throughout the company and then
reviewed how this may influence employee performance.
The Focus on Leadership Communication for Millennials
The Millennial generation is already having an impact on society in its use of
mobile technology and the development and use of social media. Venters, Green, and
Lopez (2012) predicted that by 2014 about half the workforce would be Millennials.
Additionally, the influx of Millennials, with their technical expertise, has changed
companies across the globe. According to Eisner (2005), “Gen Y’s large size, level of
education, and technical skill position it to echo the Baby Boomers’ impact on business
and society” (p. 6).
The Millennial generation is the largest user group of social media; and social
technology and mobile technology have introduced new communication methods that are
used globally. If innovation trends prevail, as indicated by Lee and Cho (2011), these
factors may impact workplace communication as well. As of 2015, more than one-in-
three American workers are Millennials, and this year Generation Y became the largest
share of the American workforce (Fry, 2015).
Studies have shown a link between leadership effectiveness, worker performance,
and leadership communication. Previous studies, as indicated in the previous section,
30
have found the link between leadership communication and worker effectiveness. In the
current study, I explored how these factors may impact leadership communication as
Millennials increasingly enter the workplace, by exploring this phenomenon and
answering the research questions about if, when, and how these factors are impacting
leader communication at the company I studied.
Today global organizations depend on mobile technology, and various
communication media. According to Weimann, Hinz, Scott, and Pollock (2010), “it is
evident that communication media play an integral role in team activities and [most]
virtual teams are functioning teams who rely on technology-based communication while
crossing several different boundaries” (p. 189). Frequent and targeted communication
contributed to improve virtual team performance. However, familiarity with a specific
technology or communication medium significantly influenced when these tools were
leveraged when communicating, regardless of whether they could have helped improve
efficiency (Weimann et al., 2010). My study explored how communication media,
frequency of communication, targeted communication, and familiarity with
communication and tools may impact leadership communication involving Millennials.
Demographically, holding for socioeconomic status, Millennials have by far been
the most influential generation in the adoption of social media (Lee and Cho, 2011, p.
76). As social media becomes more and more common throughout society it will be
especially important to leverage it as a powerful communication tool. Millennials
brought new communication methods and habits of “constant” communication into the
workplace that were adopted by other employees (Savitz, 2012, p. 1). The pervasiveness
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of new communication style has influenced business communication by simplifying the
flow of information and allowing constant interaction that facilitates employees’ ability
to implement multiple tasks simultaneously (multitasking). The recent phenomenon of
social networking, combined with mobile technology and corporate globalization,
introduces new challenges and ways for leaders to assign day-to-day tasks to employees,
communicate visions, and set and achieve goals.
Millennial workers introduced a new mindset to organizations that required a
different approach from the traditional top-down communication. Millennials and other
younger workers gained influence in organizations by setting new expectations on peers
and authority figures to communicate with them in more fast-paced, interactive, two-way
fashion, which generates consent rather than commanding agreement (Groysberg &
Slind, 2012). Penney (2011) addressed this communication phenomenon as well and
observed that Generation X and Generation Y are more collaborative and inclusive than
previous generations.
Although generational differences are noted, the literature also points out the
emergence of more collaboration in leadership, which requires a more inclusive
communication style. Therefore, part of my research explored how much collaboration
tools are being used and whether they are changing leadership communication at this
company.
Another differentiator between Millennial Americans and other American
generations is their perspective on diversity and tolerance. More than previous
generations, this group is more ethnically and racially diverse, and more open socially to
32
other races and cultures (Pew Research Center, 2015, Social Trends). Therefore, the
workforce demographics will shift accordingly as more Millennials join the workforce
(Toossi, 2009). As the workforce shifts to incorporate more Millennials it will be
important to understand how these dynamics will impact organizations and how leaders
communicate within them.
One leadership communication style may not fit all situations. Additionally, the
Millennials’ mindset and use of technology has distinguished the Millennial generation
from previous ones in ways that may indicate the need to refine leadership
communication styles that will be effective in the changing workplace and workforce.
The next few sections talk more about the Millennials’ influence, considering how
globalization, social media, and mobile technology each changed the way that people
communicate.
Communication Changed With Globalization
With technology, new workforce demographics, globalization, and diversity
considerations, it is important to watch what is happening externally for company leaders
to determine if changes are required. Caputo and Crandall (2012) stated that, “the
dynamics of globalization mean we face a reality wherein leaders are called upon to
communicate effectively in cultural situations unfamiliar to them” (p. 58). Other authors
stress the importance of the need for cultural adaption as well as quality communication
in dealing with global teams. Chang et al. (2011) stressed that “if financial resources and
time do not allow team leaders to bring all the members to a face-to-face meeting, they
should at least make sure that team members get acquainted virtually through chat rooms,
33
white board, home pages, e-mails, or video conferencing” (p. 310). Globalization
introduced organizational dynamics that require current and future leaders to transform
traditional communication styles to incorporate cultural considerations.
Increases in globalization have led to an increased need for leaders with a global
mindset; leaders must be able to communicate with individuals of their own and
divergent cultures, backgrounds, and demographics (Caputo & Crandall, 2012; Ching-
Hsiang & Hung-Wen, 2008; Irving, 2010; Rofcanin & Mehtap, 2010). Leadership
behaviors can be interpreted differently from culture to culture. Although culture is not a
primary factor for this study, it is a mediating variable for globalization as well as social
media and mobile technology
Globalization introduced other dynamics within organizations that requires leader
flexibility in how decisions are made. Bueno and Tubbs (2004) studied different
leadership styles to identify the competencies required for global effectiveness. The
results they presented also indicated that leaders consider the following to be some of the
most important global leadership competencies: (a) communication skills, (b) motivation
to learn, (c) flexibility, (d) open-mindedness, (e) respect for others, and (f) sensitivity.
Rofcanin and Mehtap (2010) stated that the “ever changing nature of organizations into
flatter organizations has brought about the necessity of team-oriented decision making
processes, continuous learning, and diversity, all of which pose challenges to the way of
managing subordinates” (p. 84). Perruci (2011) discussed the complexity of the way
globalization is shaping how Millennials will lead inter-generationally across nations.
34
Another theme in the literature is that technology is central to the success of
companies seeking to expand globally. Along with a global mindset and cultural
flexibility, globalization necessitated accessibility to new technology and ways to
communicate (Chang et al., 2011; Irving, 2010; Perruci, 2011). Technology allows
people to work together regardless of distance as if they were together in the same office.
Advances in communication and technology, largely influenced by the Internet,
have brought people around the world into proximity and changed the way people relate
to one another (Irving, 2010; Perruci, 2011). Additionally, workplace dynamics have
changed with the communication and technology changes required to work in the global
context. According to Perruci (2011), “followers are now empowered by education,
technology, and new means of communication, which allow them to play an active role in
negotiating their space in the leadership process” (p. 83). Newer technology facilitated
the globalization of organizations; however, it poses new communication challenges for
leaders.
Another impact globalization has had on communication is that increased
interaction across cultures has forced people to share, learn about, and learn from other
cultures (Caputo and Crandall, 2012; Ching-Hsiang & Hung-Wen, 2008). Individuals
grow from intercultural experiences. Leaders require excellent communication skills that
use varied techniques to ensure a quality delivery of instruction or message. According
to Chang et al. (2011), “Successful virtual team facilitators must be able to manage the
whole spectrum of communication strategies via new technologies, as well as human and
social processes, and often do it across cultures” (p. 311). Another challenge leaders face
35
is that information travels quickly, and news and problems cannot be confined within
borders. Perruci (2011) asserts that, “A global perspective on leadership calls on
Millennials to transcend local norms in order to develop transnational agendas” (p. 85).
Leaders must be able to create and communicate strategy that expands to include
knowledge acquired throughout global organizations.
However, global presence does not equal a homogeneous global culture; effective
leadership communication varies based on global context, each situation (i.e., Situational
Leadership Theory), and each person (i.e., LMX Theory). Increased globalization
created the need for more virtual teams as well as other nontraditional team structures
such as multicultural teams within and across regions or organizations (Chang et al.,
2011; Perruci, 2011). Globalization is forcing Millennials to confront not only traditional
leadership challenges when implementing organizational changes, but also cross-cultural
dimensions of leadership (Penney, 2011; Perruci, 2011). In addition to the need for
leaders to lead globally, effective leaders must be able to communicate well with virtual
teams as well as multicultural regions and organizations, which can be a challenge.
The literature also discussed the need for trust among team members to be most
productive. To work well together, team members are required to communicate well
enough to gain confidence in each other’s competency to help develop trust (Chang et al.,
2011). This is a key consideration for leadership in global organizations where
developing trust in global teams can be a challenge because of non-proximity and cultural
differences.
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Other researchers expressed the importance of trust and leader proximity in
organizations. Rofcanin and Mehtap (2010) in their examination of applied LMX theory
in their study stated that, “The relations between managers and subordinates are
reciprocal and that the high-quality leader-member exchange results in high trust, mutual
respect and consequently in less turnover, better performance, higher productivity and
developed organizational citizenship behavior” (pp. 86-87). Globalization changed
leadership communication by adding new complexity in how leaders effectively cultivate
trust, develop, interact, and communicate with employees across the globe to maintain
employee engagement and satisfactory performance levels.
Factors that affect the performance of global virtual teams include (a) cultural
adaption, (b) communication quality, and (c) member trust (Ching-Chou & Hsin-Hua,
2010; Perruci, 2011). Communication style determines how well a group may perform.
Successful global virtual teams depend more on people than on technology since a team’s
interaction style can affect group performance by facilitating or inhibiting the exchange
of information (Chang et al., 2011).
In the 21st century, organizations typically have constant changes in the context,
needs, and goals of the organization (Perruci, 2011). Leaders face constant challenges in
the chaotic environment of overlapping organizational changes, which have impacted
how leaders effectively communicate. Social media and mobile technology have also
added new dimensions to how people can communicate across the globe.
37
Communication Changed with Social Media
Social media has been generally accepted as a new media (Piotrowski, 2012;
Mason, 2012; Parsons, 2011; Lee, 2010). The popularity and use of social media
continues to grow, with 41% of people surveyed in the United States having a profile on
a social networking site in 2009 (Pew Research Center, 2015). Lee and Cho (2011) noted
that from 2004 through 2010 social media sites, specifically Facebook and Twitter, had
followed the innovation adoption trend pattern in which innovation spreads through
society in a positive S-curve fashion, where usage gradually increases and ultimately
levels off as it becomes commonplace.
Other authors noted similar statistics. Lennon, Rentfro and Curran (2012)
reported that “over eight in ten internet users ages 18-29 use social networking sites
compared with seven in ten 30-49 year olds, half of 50-64 year olds, and one-third of
those age 65 and older. [The 18-35] age grouping made up 48% of social networking site
users” (p. 3). Social media has become a standard tool for many as a communication
media and source.
A key differentiator between traditional media and social media is that social
media enables individuals and groups to create and send messages, not just receive
information. Social media allow its users to give recommendations (e.g., liking a product
or company) and it is more interactive. This allows two-way communication that
changes the way information is gathered and shared. Social media alters the exchange of
information such that media is no longer just about delivering a message but has
expanded to create an environment for exchanging thoughts and ideas.
38
Another key difference between social media and traditional media lies in the
credibility of the information. Lee (2010) asserted that social media “tends to release the
content without verification, unlike in the mass media. Therefore, social media is not yet
capable of replacing traditional media. However, it still has value in four aspects: time,
audience, cost, and relations” (p. 113). The positive aspects of social media seem to
offset the concern with data validity. Also, social media allows people to share and
distribute information more broadly and quickly than with traditional media and
communication methods (Groysberg & Slind, 2012; Lee, 2010).
The trend in social media popularity and usage has caused companies to
implement strategy specific to social media. Social media, when leveraged appropriately,
is beneficial to business (Bhanot, 2012; Culnan, McHugh, & Zubillaga, 2010; Giamanco
& Gregoire, 2012; Roberts, 2012). Bhanot (2012) believed that today's leaders must
embrace social media for several reasons, including (a) it provides a low-cost accessible
way to promote a personal brand; (b) it allows for rapid engagement with peers,
employees, and customers; and (c) it exposes businesses to “instant information and
unvarnished feedback” (p. 48). Social media provide new platforms for businesses to
reach customers and exchange information.
However, along with social media’s growth in use, as with any new business
niche, there are positives and negatives that companies are grappling with as company
leaders strive to make the most profitable use of social media. Two major impacts of
social media have grabbed the attention of company executives: its popularity with
39
Millennials and the growth of companies using social media for advertising and
marketing (Piotrowski, 2012).
Recent articles have emphasized that the application of new technology and
media in business is expanding. According to Roberts (2012),
Social technologies are still in the early phase of business-use adoption, but, in
some cases, they are already transforming enterprises by flattening hierarchies,
creating previously unthinkable networks of employees, spurring wider
collaboration aimed at business objectives and even democratizing workplaces.
(p. 30)
The company in my study has recently adopted social media as a marketing tool, and it is
expanding its use by incorporating it into the business. Remidez and Jones (2012) shared
similar sentiments to Roberts (2012), adding that social networks, when strategically
planned and managed, can facilitate communications and ultimately improve decision-
making and operations. Lee and Cho (2011) also emphasized the importance of social
media for business in their broader statement that all adapters of social media influence
others, whether late adopters or early adopters, because of its interactive nature. This
study unveils how these recent technological changes may influence changes to
leadership communication style for one company’s organizations throughout a specific
transition period.
Communication within and throughout a company is critical to how information
is used and interpreted. Social media has changed the way that many people
communicate and connect socially. Initially largely used for personal interaction, it is
40
now used by companies for business. Social media platforms have impacted how people
in organizations work due to the level of adaption and frequency of use by GenY
(Groysberg & Slind, 2012; Understanding the Millennial Consumer, 2012). Social
media, mobile technology, and the Millennial workforce have driven the need to change
from top-down, town hall style communication to more collaborative, engaging forums.
The social media concept of two-way exchanges has affected the way leaders interact
with employees as well as how employees interact with leaders (Lee, 2010; Roberts,
2012; Trainor, 2012).
Communication between leaders and employees must be more interactive than in
the past to be successful. Authors Groysberg and Slind (2012) stated, “when a spirit of
inclusion takes hold, engaged employees can adopt important new roles, creating content
themselves and acting as brand ambassadors, thought leaders, and storytellers” (p. 81).
Leader conversations with employees will play a key role in how leaders will engage
with employees in the future to create an interactive work environment. Social media
allows for interactive communication, which can reduce misunderstandings that can
occur during unilateral communication and build corporate trust that organizations need
internally and externally (Lee, 2010).
Communication within and about a project or organization is crucial to its
success. Challenges with communication or communication tools can impact
performance. Face-to-face meetings in today’s business world are a challenge, but online
meetings, video conferencing, instant messaging, and so forth have generally facilitated
virtual communication with associates because they allow real-time exchanges and the
41
ability for workers to share pictures, presentations, documents, and just about anything
that can be produced electronically on the Internet. To maintain a company’s success,
leaders must understand and incorporate the latest technology and communication
vehicles to fit its business appropriately.
Although literature about social media has increased in 2013, prior to starting this
study, research pertaining to social media’s impact on business communication and with
respect to globalization and cross-cultural factors was still scant (Bernoff, 2011; Lennon,
Rentfro, and Curran, 2012; Piotrowski, 2012). Piotrowski (2012) stated that there are
“articles and documents on the topic of Facebook, but they seem to deemphasize research
studies that deal with organizational-business factors” (p. 80). The Lennon, Rentfro, and
Curran (2012) study mentioned the need for more research that looks at demographic
variables and social network use as an opportunity in future research. This research
opportunity relates closely to my research since the Millennial demographic has the
largest percentage of social media users, as noted previously.
My research incorporates additional data on how the social media usage and data
trends may impact leadership communication in the context of my case study. As more
Millennials join the workforce, organizations continue to increase social media use for
business purposes. Mobile technology has experienced usage trends similar to those of
social media, with significant increases in usage that have changed how many people
communicate throughout the world.
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Communication Changed with Mobile Technology
Company leaders are dependent on their teams to be productive. This requires
leveraging technology and tools effectively at work. Technology and media changes are
becoming a part of society in day-to-day interaction worldwide. This has also taken hold
in business. A company’s communication culture must take into account the technology
used and the work setting within its organizations. This begs the question of how
communication and technology influence how leaders lead and how followers follow the
leaders. Employees have difficulty communicating when they encounter system
limitations, insufficient or unavailable resources, or time zone concerns and conflicts.
Therefore, companies and leaders must select tools and technology carefully to ensure
that their uses and limitations do not impede them.
The literature discusses the impact of technology-empowered customers and
prompted me to explore it as part of my study. In 2011 there was a significant lag in
literature and organizational responses to the new technology and communication
vehicles. Day (2011) stated, “During periods of technological disruption, most
organizations have trouble keeping pace…. When an organization masters a capability, it
is likely to keep doing it long past the point of obsolescence” (p. 184). When companies
find it difficult to keep pace with technological disruptors, it underscores the problem. In
2013 more companies and more studies have focused on mobile technology and social
media and its uses for business.
Since innovation is a key factor in companies remaining competitive, not having
adequate structures in place needed to implement or react to external changes and new
43
technology can be detrimental. While the literature underscores the immersion of
technology and its impact on society, it also emphasizes the gap or lag in its application
within many organizations. This study particularly focuses on mobile technology,
globalization, and social media, since these recent phenomena have become status quo
for many Millennials.
Mobile technology usage has increased significantly over the past 10 to 15 years,
especially since mobile phones are more accessible than any other form of information
and communication technology (ICT) (De Reuver, Stein, & Hampe, 2013; Dietel,
McMann, Bosco, & Harvey, 2011; Hinks, 2012; Ladd, Datta, Sarker, & Yanjun, 2010;).
Mobile devices have become an integral part of people’s lives. Kaufman (2011) stated
that, “By 2014, it is estimated that mobile Internet use will overtake desktop Internet use”
(p. 547). A contributing factor identified in the literature is the mobile computing
phenomenon that is transforming societies that previously did not have access to
computers, and the fact that mobile computing adoption rates in recent years are higher in
developing nations than in developed nations (Ladd, 2010).
Computing is increasingly mobile. Krell (2012) discussed customer service and
stated that, “Everything is exposed thanks to the internet, mobility, and social media [and
today 80% of customers rely on technology while they shop]” (p. 6). According to the
literature mobile ICT, when leveraged appropriately, is beneficial and sometimes
necessary for business since the power has shifted to the customers that leverage mobile
technology when making decisions about purchases. Sarker, Xiao, Sarker, and Ahuja
(2012) summarize key benefits of organizations using mobile technology:
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• The potential for 24x7 uninterrupted connectivity to human as well as information
resources
• Increased flexibility
• Improved coordination
• Increased productivity through flexibility in time management
• Pleasure and enjoyment
• Availability of multiple media and genres of communication suited for different
scenarios. (p. 144)
Dery and MacCormick (2012) highlighted positive attributes of mobile technology for
business executives and stated that, “In addition to mobile technology making it easier to
get out of the office, the executives felt that there were now opportunities to spend more
time at home while still being connected to work” (p. 161). Mobile technology is now a
necessary tool for leaders to stay connected to work.
According to LMX theory, as noted as part of the theoretical framework for this
study, the quality of leaders’ communication is key in employee performance. The
literature points out that mobile technology may help or hinder productivity depending on
whether and how it is used and governed by leaders (Dietel, McMann, Bosco, & Harvey,
2011). Specifically, leaders today still use email as a primary method of communication.
According to Deitel et al. (2011):
In a global survey, 67 percent of senior executives and managers said their
organization would be more productive if their superiors communicated more
often by personal discussion. In contrast to their opinions in this regard, the top
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personal method of communicating for these same business leaders is e-mail,
based on the survey by NFI Research. (p. 1280)
However, recently organizations have seen a shift in how leaders and employees are
using mobile technology, from a means to gain mobility (ability to work anytime from
varied locations) to a means to stay connected to work (Dery and MacCormick, 2012).
Ladd et al. (2010) specified that, “upwards of 70 percent of business users now report
accessing their business data via a mobile device” (p. 286). The shift to using mobile
technology in organizations has changed the way that employees and leaders
communicate at work.
The use of mobile technology may have less to do with personal preference and
more to do with the company’s culture, the individual’s role within the company, or the
practicality in the context of the meeting or function (Dietelet al., 2011; Sarker et al.,
2012). The adaption of mobile technology can help improve quality and speed of
information transfer from person to person, which helps to improve organizational
efficiency and effectiveness. However, many corporations have been slow to adapt
mobile technology as part of their business processes (Leidner, Pan, Sutanto, & Brown,
2012; Saccol, Manica, and Elaluf-Calderwood, 2011). This is largely due to the
complexity and duality of its implementation, which Leidner et al. (2012) captured in this
paragraph:
Organizations are learning to use mobility to create high performance workplaces
and to enable green initiatives, all the while dealing with an array of important
decisions such as which devices to support, how much security to require, how
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many devices per employee to allow, how to protect privileged information,
which applications to whitelist or blacklist, and which enterprise applications to
make accessible to mobile devices. (p. 4)
Hinks (2012) and Ladd et al. (2010) agreed with this assessment, while Luo, Warkentin,
and Li (2013) emphasized that the caution is not necessarily warranted as the productivity
and performance benefits of mobile technology implementation may outweigh the risks.
However, the decision to leverage mobile technology is influenced by the organizational
demographics and culture as well as the individuals, as noted throughout this section.
According to the literature, many companies have adopted mobile technology and
reap the benefits. Mobile technology can provide flexibility and convenience as well as
facilitate work/life balance, multitasking, and increased productivity (Dery &
MacCormick, 2012; Dietel et al (2011), Leidner et al. (2012); Luo et al., 2013; Sarker et
al., 2012). Mobile technology allows resources to work together and connect directly
through various web and mobile technology applications without being in the same
location at the same time.
Mobility and social media, largely influenced by Gen Y in the workplace (as
covered in the “Communication Changed with Social Media” section), combined to force
changes in how organizations work and perform. This changed the way people
communicate and connect with other people at work. Additionally, social media has
caused significant cultural change within organizations because junior members are often
more fluent in what social media can do and how it drives business (Krell, 2012).
Luo et al. (2013) explored how organizations use mobile technology internally
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and externally as well as the mobile office (MO) phenomenon: workers accessing
corporate networks on the road, at home, and at work via mobile devices and uploading
and downloading data, voice, and video. According to Luo et al., “MO has great
potential to become one of the most widely utilized m-business solutions.... As such, MO
can enhance productivity for employees, since having real-time access to business
information can significantly increase productivity and overall corporate profitability” (p.
66). Social media and mobile technology have influenced changes to communication at
work to be more interactive and collaborative (Bhanot, 2012).
The literature points out that mobile technology has introduced some
communication challenges in the workplace. The lack of standardization of and across
mobile devices and usage is a challenge for organizations (Deitel et al., 2011; Hinks,
2012; Leidner et al., 2012; Saccol et al., 2011). Leidner et al. (2012) commented that, “A
common theme in the papers is that there is no one-size-fits-all mobility strategy. Instead,
companies must allow for not only different devices, but also different approaches to
mobility” (p. 3). Hinks (2012) adds that the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD)
phenomenon exacerbates data and security concerns.
The literature discussed advantages and pitfalls of communication with mobile
technology that echoed the themes of globalization and social media. Personal
interactions influence the level of trust and confidence employees have in others within
their organization. Therefore, leaders need to manage mobile device use protocol to
ensure that the benefits of mobile device use are emphasized over any negative behavior,
work/life balance issues, and device abuse at work (Deitel et al., 2011; Dery et al., 2012).
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Organizations are more productive when leaders create a mobile communication
strategy. Deitel et al. (2011) stated that, “The design of communications technology
systems in organizations needs to become a conscious process. More often than not, these
systems have evolved without direction and have led to deterioration of organizational
communications” (p. 1283). Sarker et al. (2012) echoed these sentiments but stressed
that leaders should give guidelines on how and when mobile devices should be used, in
order to improve employee productivity without interfering in their personal lives.
Leaders can avoid potential negative impact on work/life balance by communicating and
reinforcing strategy for mobile technology use.
There are few studies that focus on the use of mobile and wireless technology
within organizations, and a scarcity in articles about organizational performance impacts
related to mobile technology (Ladd et al., 2010; Luo et al., 2013; Saccol et al., 2011).
Saccol et al. (2011) asserted that although research exists on the increase in mobile
technology applications, there are few studies about efforts to improve organizational
efficiency and effectiveness using mobile technology. Ladd et al. (2010) commented that
few studies “discussed the internal business value chain proposition, i.e., how mobile
communication devices led to increased individual performance, and how individual/firm
usage of mobile communication devices increased overall firm performance” (p. 294). I
also found few studies in my search that explored the performance benefits or value of
increased mobile technology use in organizations.
In addition to performance, another gap in the literature about mobile technology
is the aspect of workforce mobility and its impact on communication. Luo et al. (2013)
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specifically studied the mobile office (MO) phenomenon—employees’ ability to work
anytime, anywhere—and asserted that “A lack of studies directly investigating the
adoption and diffusion patterns of MO is to be expected due to the newness of the MO
initiatives per se” (p. 66). I partially address these gaps through my case study on how
globalization, Millennials, social media, and mobile technology use might impact
leadership communication style and effectiveness.
Communication is core to leadership success, and technology and devices used to
communicate are equally important. It is crucial for leaders to decide what to
communicate, but they must also determine the optimal way to communicate it. This
topic is another area that may indicate the opportunity for additional exploration. In
another research question I ask: What can be done to improve or close the gap in
leadership success? Communication, starting with this study, can help to unveil new
information that highlights new trends and provides new understanding that can impact
employee performance.
Communication Challenges for Existing Leaders
As mentioned in the introduction, most of the literature speaks about the
importance of good leadership; however, a gap exists where the latest technology, media,
globalization, and leadership meet. Badawy (1998) suggested, “The idea that a good
manager can manage anything regardless of its technological base is simplistic,
misleading, and must be abandoned” (p. 96). Globalization and technology have
intersected to create new challenges for leaders. Specifically, with the advent of social
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media, the speed at which people communicate news and information pose new
challenges those leaders must manage.
Effective leadership communication remains a frequent topic in the literature.
Companies require good leader communication to fill information gaps throughout the
workplace. Today many managers feel leadership communication can improve
(Hastings, 2012). Leadership communication is critical where leaders implement
organizational changes. Bevan (2011) asserts that:
Effective management of change requires leaders to be very clear about the
purpose and the process; seek input and information from those involved and
affected; deploy sufficient resources to manage the transition without losing focus
on day-to-day business processes; and maintain an effective multi-directional
flow of communication and information. (p. 4)
As organizations expand global boundaries and change to incorporate mobile and
social technologies, leadership communication must support these changes. A key
challenge for today’s leaders is controlling the flow and content of information.
Another leadership communication challenge is how to achieve performance
objectives. Abugre (2011) found, “Effective organizational communication can be
possible if organizational leadership improve on their communication methods and create
unrestricted access of communication media to their workers” (p. 13). When efficient
communication structures are in place, leaders have greater success in achieving their
objectives because employees are more satisfied and consequently more productive. In
this study I asked employees about their use of social media and mobile technology for
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communication at work to help understand current employee communication methods at
work that may influence worker satisfaction and subsequent performance.
Leaders must be able to influence organizational performance. Within global
organizations leaders face unique challenges in being able to communicate goals and
objectives as well as the standard behaviors and values that employees are expected to
exhibit in achieving performance goals. Neera et al. (2010) stated that, “values act as the
bedrock of an organization. Leadership must ensure that the values remain at the core of
the way an organization functions and are not lost sight of or jettisoned in the drive to
achieve results” (p. 23). Employees work better in environments where the values are
understood and they can relate to them (Barsh, Mogelof, & Webb, 2010; Clawson, 2009;
Mason, 2012; Neera et al., 2010). Therefore, as values shift with the Millennial
generation, leaders must be able to communicate effectively across organizations to build
a solid foundation that allows employees to thrive.
Additionally, once desired performance levels are achieved, leaders must keep
talented leaders effective and engaged. Company leaders face this challenge today and it
is exacerbated in the boundary-less environment (Aggarwal, 2011). Demographics,
sustainability, technology, and globalization are interrelated. It is important to
understand the relationship between them and how they ultimately will impact leadership
communication. Workforce shifts, mobile technology, social media, and globalization
have influenced multiple layers of organizational changes. Leadership communication is
necessary to carry companies through the layers of change that occur simultaneously in
today’s organizations. With the globalization of Fortune 500 companies, effective
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management and implementation of multiple changes is a frequent topic in current
literature. Globalization forces the need for teams to communicate virtually throughout
the globe.
Other literature explored the advantages and disadvantages of virtual teams and
stressed that traditional productivity risks are further exacerbated by the regional
locations and cultural dimensions experienced by globally distributed teams. Since
communication is a critical factor to success, managers must have the ability to
communicate well and they must develop ways to facilitate communication within the
teams to decrease the risk. Weimann et al. (2010) analyzed effectiveness of
communication based on varying factors, including
• Same time and same place;
• Same time and different place;
• Different time and same place; and
• Different time and different place.
Video teleconferencing with recording features and web-based media allow for
information to be communicated simultaneously in varying locations, or recorded and
then broadcast or viewed at a later time in different locations.
Various communication media have varying ability to transfer information.
Further, communication frequency and the proximity of the parties communicating (face-
to-face, phone, VTC, etc.) will have an effect on how information is processed. Today, it
is necessary to view leadership communication with a global mindset (Weimann et al.,
2010). Advancements in technology have significantly changed the way we work and
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live. Organizations are changing quickly to keep up with the influences of varied
cultures, varied traditions, and varied lifestyles of their workforce that all need to be
accommodated to work together effectively (Groysberg and Slind (2012); Penney, 2011).
My study seeks to answer how the shifts in the workforce, both demographically and
regionally, based on company globalization efforts are affecting leader communication.
Leaders are no longer judged by lineage, gender, or even the size of their office;
how well one communicates and transfers information is the key to advancement and
respect (Clawson, 2009, p. 58). However, communication effectiveness depends on the
complexity of the task or complexity of the information communicated, which makes a
difference in the transfer of information. Flexibility is needed, as well as proper focus on
softer skills in management, in order for leaders to be successful in their careers.
Another challenge is the interdependency of culture (across the globe), legal and
regulatory restrictions, and the impact on and of technology. The effects of technology
and globalization are reciprocal (Aggarwal, 2011). Virtual teams have become
commonplace since technology, social media, and changes in corporate culture have
changed how employees work. The changing boundary-less environment has also
introduced the need for leaders to change the way they communicate and engage with
their global workforce. As the global mindset has shifted to accommodate the boundary-
less environment, it presents the question of how globalization may continue to influence
changes to how the workforce at the company I studied will communicate across the
globe.
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The ability to build and maintain relationships, attract and retain customers,
communicate with organizational members and followers, and motivate others, are some
of the other factors that challenge leaders. Additionally, effective leadership requires the
ability to empower employees to take on greater responsibility and decision-making. The
basic conditions for a team to work effectively include (a) the leader’s individual skill
and (b) how effectively the leader “stacks the deck” or organizes the team based on the
team’s makeup (Hickman, 2010, p. 212). A good leader communicates well, facilitates
tasks toward specified goals and objectives, and will organize the team to support the
most effective use of available resources.
The applicability of leadership communication styles varies based on
organizational settings. However, when a leader can combine others’ priorities with his
vision or goals, then the best outcomes can be achieved. Leadership communication
must effectively relay messages, goals, and leader visions to followers while allowing an
upward flow of information from followers. Two-way communication helps the
leader facilitate his followers’ ability to reach their own goals, and it helps inspire
followers to reach the leader’s vision for the organization. However, as the company
experiences changes, this will become more challenging for leaders. The leader is
ultimately responsible for the actions of associates to ensure they understand company
vision, internalize the company brand, and contribute to its success.
It will be especially important for leaders to recognize the changes being
introduced to today’s workforce and technologies that support it. Hewlett et al. (2009)
stated, “The organizations that thrive will be those that recognize their people’s shifting
55
values and preferences—and that find ways to make the work meaningful on those
terms” (p. 76). To remain successful, leaders must remain connected, open-minded, and
flexible. This research seeks to understand this by asking pointed questions to
Millennials and their leaders about how technology can be used more effectively. With
changes in technology and social media, as well as shifting global footprint, it is more
challenging for leaders to reach their whole workforce.
Communication helps leaders connect with employees, but is especially
challenging in a global company. Leaders with a good connection to the workers can
overcome complications introduced with demographic differences in the workforce,
including generational. Work and life balance becomes of key importance. Leaders
should assess their values and beliefs to prioritize their needs and desires and then
translate that into their own words and actions (Barsh et al., 2010).
The primary motive for this study is to determine ways that leader communication
methods or communication content can be more effective in light of new technology,
media, and the global organizational environment. Although technology facilitates the
transference of information, it also introduces challenges for people to exhibit and
interpret emotion and context. This case study seeks to uncover new information that
helps to answer the research questions and find ways to maintain or improve worker
performance through leadership communication.
Building on the impacts on communication discussed in the previous sections,
globalization introduces unique challenges to leaders as organizations flatten. According
to Clawson (2009) the best leadership (i.e., Level Three Leadership) entails recognition
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of how to influence based on the three levels human behavior—(a) visible behavior; (b)
conscious thought; and (c) semiconscious values, assumptions, beliefs, and expectations
(VABEs)—and how they interplay within an organization. Level Three Leadership is
challenged by globalization as VABEs change from region to region around the globe.
Communication becomes more challenging in global organizations that need to
consider cross-cultural dimensions and conflicting views. Perruci (2011) noted that,
“globalization is breaking down national barriers and forcing Millennials to confront the
cross-cultural dimensions of leadership. As they become involved in global movements,
values and norms do not always mesh up” (p. 86). Leaders face challenges in how they
communicate visibly, consciously, and semiconsciously.
In 2013, there were few articles that addressed the impact of the social media and
mobile technology innovations on business. Now, there are more studies and articles
about the topic that discuss companies that are starting to increase the use of these
technologies. Companies are starting to investigate how to incorporate them into their
business. Leadership communication strategy is something that had not been leveraged
greatly within the company I studied; it was recognized by leadership as a gap that I
would study by starting to discuss this with the Millennial workforce. I investigated how
this global company can leverage mobile technology and social media to alleviate some
of its leadership communication challenges.
Although a quantitative study such as experimental design or survey research
could have worked for my study, I preferred to use a direct approach with the narrow
focus allowed with interviews and observation as part of case study. This allowed greater
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depth of meaning and potential drivers of the leadership communication phenomenon I
mentioned in my introduction. I chose case study because it would allow for multiple
inputs from the various participants that I could then cross-reference.
I amassed hundreds of pages of information to analyze with multiple inputs that
provided better support for my findings. Grounded theory would not have worked as an
alternative method because it seeks to develop new theory where little or no theory exists;
there are several theories about the leadership communication topic. In case study, the
researcher seeks do an in-depth study on some situation (the case) over a period of time.
Therefore, I opened the study with a theory that may or may not change based on input
from the participants.
Summary and Conclusions
During the literature review, I discovered several articles that included studies on
leadership communication and leadership in general, but not many examined
globalization, mobile technology, and social media together with their impact on
leadership communication involving the Millennial workforce. Additionally, there is not
a lot of information about the influence of these factors in a global insurance company
that is a consumer of these tools and practices. This case study allowed exploration of
the leadership communication phenomenon in the context of one company’s
implementation of globalization and internal company changes to restructure to meet the
demands of external impacts such as mobile technology and social media.
Leadership’s ability to communicate well with employees is key to a company’s
success. What seems to be missing from the literature, what is not known today, is
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whether employee performance may be impacted by leadership communication changes
driven by mobile technology, social media, and globalization. Articles surfaced over the
past few years with more focus on business use of social media and social technology;
however, most did not get into great depth and indicated that research regarding use of
social media for business is a possibility for future research.
In 2015 more articles surfaced regarding the topic of social media in business.
Specifically Aichner and Jacob (2015) stressed that, “not all social media platforms are
relevant for business. While social networks, video-sharing platforms and business
networks are of high interest, other types of social media, such as photo sharing, social
bookmarking or social gaming, might be less important in absolute terms and of less
interest to companies because the scope of application is limited”. Therefore I paid close
attention to how social media was and should be applied at the company.
Other researchers addressed the importance of communication in leadership and
that communication styles between leaders and employees is changing to be less top-
down, more two-way. I examined this company’s use of social media, social technology,
and collaboration tools that may influence leader communication in terms of format and
effectiveness as part of this study.
I specifically focused on Millennial employees to identify any specific changes to
leadership communication attributable to this demographic. Millennials are increasingly
joining the workforce across the globe, and as the workforce shifts, especially with their
increased use of social media and mobile technology and as greater adoption of the global
mindset persists, information about the impact on leadership communication becomes
59
more important. The literature indicated that these factors could have a significant
impact on leadership communication, which makes this study relevant and timely.
Throughout the literature review I revealed common themes that have surfaced
from the literature. These themes included (a) the influence of globalization, innovation,
and technology on leadership communication; (b) the influence Millennials have had on
communication in business; (c) the role of leadership communication in a global
company; and (d) leadership communication effectiveness. Additionally, recent articles
highlighted the fact that the confluence of the technology, media, and demographic trends
has resulted in the need to reexamine business needs. Business needs include the need to
look at how these changes influence leadership communication, especially as the
workforce shifts to include more Millennials at this company.
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Chapter 3: Research Method
Introduction
This chapter includes a description of the case study design that I used to explore
how globalization, mobile technology, and social media might change leadership
communication style. The problem investigated in this study was the unclear influence of
external factors on companies and how these may have created new ways for leaders to
communicate with workers. The literature does not include significant information about
how globalization, social media, and mobile technology affected leadership
communication and then subsequently effect worker performance as more Millennials
joined the workforce. Current research related to this topic includes traditional
discussions of good leadership qualities. The purpose of the study was to surface new
information about how these factors may affect recent phenomena, namely changes in
leadership communication, since leadership communication is key to leadership
performance and effectiveness and can influence worker performance.
One driver for my choice of method is that case study will ensure richness in the
information in the context of the company and current organizational changes enacted to
create a strong global company. The information will be helpful to my audience and also
helped me to develop new information that my target audience can use to improve leader
communication. In this chapter, I discuss the research method through four subtopics:
1. Research and design rationale
2. Role of the researcher
3. Methodology
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4. Issues of Trustworthiness.
The chapter closes with a summary of these topics and a description of how this method
will support the study.
Research Design and Rationale
The research for this study was designed to best analyze the influence of the three
named factors on leadership communication involving Millennials. A case study design
allows the researcher to do an in-depth study on some situation (the case) over a period of
time. A core benefit of case study is that it allows for multiple inputs from the various
participants. By using the case study approach in this study, I obtained multiple inputs
from the various participants, which allowed me to gain greater insight directly from
current employees who are part of the company workforce.
I needed to sift through data to get adequate information to determine new
findings in the context of this study. My goal was to appropriately leverage all phases of
the process to obtain new ideas and information that can add to the body of knowledge
available. Since the case study approach involved using data and strategically coding the
data to uncover new ideas, I believed that case study was the best fit because the
approach compliments the goal to better understand the influence of globalization, mobile
technology, and social media on leadership communication.
The research consisted of four major steps:
1. a review of current literature and existing leadership theories;
2. the development of a set of core questions with regard to current
technology and leadership influence (internal and external) to use
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throughout data collection that will evolve as data is gathered through
various interviews (preparation) and analyzed iteratively;
3. review data sources such as leader meeting materials, survey data, HR
data sources, and organizational metrics for triangulation with
interview data; and
4. the final step was to identify successful communication methods and
then report the results throughout positive social change actions.
A key strength of the case study was the way that data are limited to a small
sample to allow for enough time to thoroughly review data and identify themes within
and across the cases. This allowed for new discovery and for me to dig into particular
concerns of the participants. This methodology required a thorough review of data and
allows for an in-depth collection of data that can produce richness in the information that
helps to reinforce the study. A weakness of the case study approach is that the data are
not generalizable and are restricted to the context of the study. Another weakness is that
the methodology requires patience throughout data collection and data analysis. The
methodology is severely dependent on the quality of the data, the researchers’ skill, and
their ability to be meticulously organized.
A case study design was appropriate for this study because the methodology
provides the best support for its goal, to analyze Millennials in this particular context. In
this case study I interviewed and observed workers to find new information about
leadership communication that will help resolve the problem. I collected data that I then
coded and analyzed by cross-referencing data. This method allowed me to interview
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Millennials to gain information about their perspective and knowledge, determine codes,
cross-compare the information with participants in leadership positions, and determine
more information about leadership in the corporate environment. Specifically, this
methodology helped me review the question of whether leadership communication
changes as a company expands and evolves globally in the wake of mobile technology
and social media immersion while the Millennial presence increases in the workforce.
Role of Researcher
In my role as researcher I observed the progress of Millennial entry-level to mid-
level associates after their first year at work and then solicited their insights and
perspectives to determine how new technology, social media, and globalization could
influence changes in leadership communication. I received inputs from the small group
of participants that allowed me to gain greater insight directly from current employees
who will be a part of the future workforce. The smaller sample allowed me to analyze
the information in greater depth of detail.
I leveraged any data that contributed relevant information and fit the context of
the study. The information obtained in this study allowed me to learn new things about
individuals, groups, and the environment that were revealed in this particular context.
My target audience includes company leaders, executives, and managers. Therefore, I
emphasized the most useful and relevant information to help leaders plan better for future
training and skills specific to the fast-paced technological changes and environment that
forces Millennials and leaders to continually improve their companies.
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Methodology
Participant Selection Logic
The population, including sample and setting, is a key element of any study.
Further, in case studies the sample is a particularly key element because the initial
sample, along with the results of the data collected based on this sample, determine the
next steps. In other words, the sample provides the data that in turn informs the study of
new ideas and opportunities for subsequent research.
I selected participants for the interviews that fit the target population based on
demographic data provided by the Human Resources (HR) department and according to
the definition provided in Chapter 1 for Millennial and leader participants. I used a
purposeful sampling strategy to recruit the candidates to interview. Participation in this
study was strictly voluntary. I provided the participants background information on the
study as well as the expected level of involvement and time required.
The sample size in my study was limited to 17 participants from various groups
within the company so that I could obtain the most depth during each interview and be
able cross-reference the information to review patterns across the different participant
interviews. This number of participants was sufficient for the study since data collection
was quite extensive and I was able to produce significant data. I limited the sample to
allow for enough time to thoroughly review data and identify themes within and across
the participants. I needed to refine data and participants as the research progressed I
followed up with participants within the company as needed for clarification. Finally, I
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reviewed the data until I reached the saturation point as themes began to resurface across
data sources, which indicated that the sample was sufficient.
The setting for this research was the company where I am employed. Since I
worked for the company, I was able to gain access to the site easily and plan to work
directly with the participants in the context of this study to gain trust. The sample
allowed for a good set of responses that I used as input to my study. Creswell (2007)
suggested, “ a hallmark of all good qualitative research is the report of multiple
perspectives that range over the entire spectrum of perspectives” (p. 122). Therefore, I
planned the research using the best candidates, approach, and framework while
employing appropriate strategies for validation to ensure accuracy.
The data complemented the study by providing insight about the Millennial
generation and current leadership practices at the company that helped answer the
research questions and revealed new information about the problem. At the time of the
study, the population included a diverse workforce with a presence in over 50 countries
throughout North and South America, Asia Pacific, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.
The focus of this study was on U.S.-based employees who are impacted directly or
indirectly by the company’s shifting global presence and location strategy.
The participants were Millennial employees who may or may not hold leadership
positions, as well as company leaders who may or may not be in the Millennial
demographic. I used a purposive sampling process by seeking out those who fit the
Millennial criteria, and then identified leaders I would like to interview and asked them to
participate in the study.
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Instrumentation
Several tools were used as data sources for this study; most data, however, were
derived from interviews and observation. I interviewed 17 employees, including
Millennials and their managers. I used self-designed observation sheets and interview
protocol based on my research questions, as well as audiotape, HR demographic data,
organizational survey data, HR employee ratings processes, company performance
information, company survey data, and meeting materials (e.g., presentations) that were
necessary to support the study.
The researcher-designed instruments were sufficient for data collection since this
study is based on emerging information from interviews and observations. The data
collection instruments were designed and created to fit the context of this study.
Additionally, I used recording devices to facilitate the data capture during interviews.
The observation worksheet was used to collect data in a two-column table format.
I used the first column to document my observation notes, and the second column to
record my initial interpretation of that observation. Table 1 shows how the observation
data aligned to my research questions.
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Table 1
Observation Worksheet Aligning Observations With the Research Questions
Research Questions Observation Notes Observation Interpretations
How do globalization, mobile technology, and social media impact leadership communication style in your company (workplace)?
What technology/social media or other tools are used to facilitate communication?
Will employees use more collaborative, two-way communication as the company applies new strategy and undergoes shifts in location?
How do participants interact throughout the meeting/ discussion? (Leadership panel, leader to participants, guest presenter, participant to leader, participant to participant) Are participants in the same location? Are all participants in the same time zone? Are some participants on a telephone call/conference call? Is there a web presentation? Are there PowerPoint presentations? Is video technology used? (Telepresence, video teleconference, video streaming, video recording, Skype) Can participants participate using mobile technology? Is collaboration software used? What other meeting materials are used? Is there opportunity for participants to ask/answer questions?
What is the perceived impact of globalization, mobile technology, and social media on leadership communication styles and effectiveness?
Does subject matter include global company, globalization, and/or world? Does subject matter include social technology, social networking, and/or social media? Does subject matter include mobility, mobile technology, mobile usage, and/or mobile tools? Does subject matter include changes or impacts of globalization, social media, or technology over time? Does subject matter include organizational changes, organizational performance, or organizational impacts? Who discusses the topics? Employee? Leader? Both?
How do globalization, social media, and mobile technology impact leadership communication effectiveness?
Do participants express ideas/topics/answers clearly? Is there a two-way flow of information? What methods are used to ensure clarity of information, performance, and tasks? Does communication appear to be executed effectively?
How are the combination of globalization, mobile technology, and social media affecting communication at work, and how does each impact communication differently?
How many forms of communication are incorporated into the discussion? Do the participants/leaders always use the same format? Is there any difference in method or style observed from previous meetings? How do new communication tools facilitate or complicate communication? Is communication more or less effective when leveraging social media, mobile technology, both?
How have globalization, mobile technology, and social media impacted communication quality? Has one impacted communication quality more than the others?
Is there good leader communication? What changes are observed or experienced in leadership communication style? Are participants engaged in two-way conversation with employees/leaders? Is it effective (how do you know its effective)? Do globalization, social media and mobile technology factors allow for more effective communication? How does this meeting compare to other meetings? (Number of participants, employee grade level of participants, proximity of participants, engagement of participants)
Other Observations
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The interview protocol (see Table 2) included 61 open-ended and closed-ended
questions that align to the research questions. The topics included the following:
• Demographic information
• Technology savvy
• Employment information
• Organizational communication
• Leadership communication
• Organizational effectiveness
• Opportunities.
I organized and used the data from the interviews to determine categories of data and
themes that surface that I will analyze further. The interview questions listed in Table 1
prompted responses that helped to feed my study and revealed new concepts that I
discovered during data analysis.
Table 2
Interview Protocol Aligning Interviews With the Research Questions
Research Questions Interview Questions How do globalization, mobile technology, and social media impact leadership communication style in your company (workplace)?
Workplace: Do you consider the company global? How do you think the globalization of your company has influenced the way you work? How does mobile technology influence the way you work? How has social media influenced the way you work? What changes have you experienced as a result of mobile technology and social media?
Will employees use more collaborative, two-way communication as the company applies new strategy and undergoes shifts in location?
Communication: In what ways has social media influenced company leader communication? How have company leaders used mobile technology in the last three years? Do you use your smart phone, social media, or tablet at work? For work purposes? How does mobile technology impact the work that you do? How has the company used social media in the last three years? How has social media impacted the work that you do?
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Research Questions Interview Questions What is the perceived impact of globalization, mobile technology, and social media on leadership communication styles and effectiveness?
Associate role impacts: How do globalization, technology, and social media impact leadership communication effectiveness in your role? What makes a good leader? What changes have you experienced in leadership communication over the last three years in your organization? What changes have you experienced in leadership communication with senior executives over the last three years?
How do globalization, social media, and mobile technology impact leadership communication effectiveness?
Communication changes experienced or observed: How are leadership communication styles different from the communication you yourself use in your daily tasks at work? How do social media and mobile technology impact work communication? What changes have you observed in the last three years in communicating with employees across the globe? What changes do you expect to see in the near future?
How are the combination of globalization, mobile technology, and social media affecting communication at work, and how does each impact communication differently?
Job performance: How much communication is needed to implement tasks you perform? How are tasks implemented most effectively when working with associates globally? Has communication become more complex or easier due to these factors? In what ways has communication changed in the last three years? How much of the change do you feel is attributable to globalization? Mobile technology? Social technology? What changes have you experienced with respect to leader communication? How have these factors changed organizational communication?
How has globalization impacted the need for collaborative forums such as social media?
Collaboration: How have collaboration tools impacted the way you work? Has their use increased over the last three years? In what ways have collaboration tools been used most effectively? Are there other uses for collaboration tools that are not being used? Are collaboration forums necessary for effective communication in your organization?
How have globalization, mobile technology, and social media impacted communication? Has one impacted communication more than the others?
Globalization and diversity: Do globalization, technology, and social media collectively influence the way you work? Have globalization, technology, and social media influenced the way you work with different demographic groups? Do you work differently with various employees to be more productive?
Leadership and communication: What makes a good leader? What changes have you observed or experienced in leadership communication style in the past three years? Do you engage in two-way conversation with employees/leaders? How? Do globalization, social media, and mobile technology factors allow for more effective communication?
How are certain communication methods or styles more effective than others for leaders, individual contributors, or both?
Organizational communication: Have you observed or experienced changes in leadership communication style in the past three years? Do you engage in two-way conversations with employees? Do globalization, social media, and mobile technology factors allow for more effective communications? How often do you interact with leadership? How often do you hear from leadership? Do you feel that it is adequate? Can current leaders communicate more effectively? How? How do new communication tools facilitate or complicate communication? Is communication more or less effective when leveraging social media, mobile technology, both?
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Research Questions Interview Questions How can current leaders be more effective? How do social media impact leader communications about organizational changes?
Leadership: Do you feel you could influence changes that could make you or you organization more effective? What are some of the challenges you face? Are globalization, mobile technology, and social media changing leadership influence? How do globalization, mobile technology, and social media influence leadership communication style for Millennials? Is the impact of the three combined greater than the individual impact? What do you think about your current leadership and their use of the latest mobile technology and social media? How can leaders [you] leverage mobile technology and media innovation in ways that make them more successful? How can company leaders work better with Millennials?
Will two-way, frequent communication improve company performance in Millennials, including adherence and achievement of set goals?
Organizational effectiveness: Do you feel that you are as effective as you could be in your current role? Do you feel that your organization is as effective as it could be? What do you consider the biggest hurdle or change that you face in being more effective in your current role? How can mobile technology and social media be used optimally at work?
How do mobile technology, social media and globalization affect leader communications?
Opportunities: What are some opportunities to use mobile technology differently? How can leaders work better with employees overall? How can leaders work better with Millennials?
Participant Information Demographic info:
Are you part of the Millennial demographic (born 1977–2000)? How long have you been employed at the company?
Technology savvy: Do you own a smart phone? How often do you use it? Do you have any active social media accounts? How many? How often do you use it/them? Do you own a tablet? How often do you use it?
Employment information: Please describe your current role in the company. How often do you engage virtually with other employees? What is the most common way that you attain information at work?
(table continues)
The research questions in this instrumentation section Table 2 are a more detailed
version of the research questions presented in Chapter 1. I field-tested the interview
guide with my initial participant to help ensure that the questions were clear to
participants and determine ways to condense or reduce the content. I applied any
necessary adjustments to phrases or terminology needed during the initial interview and
then to subsequent participant interviews to enable consistency across all the interviews.
Procedures for Recruitment, Participation, and Data Collection
I used observation and interviews throughout the study, a direct approach, to
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identify positive and negative thoughts of the participants and then to determine the best
answers. Case study was more appropriate than other methods because it allowed me to
examine existing theories while collecting data and exploring varied perspectives and
backgrounds. The case study methodology involved data collection, followed by
analysis, and then discovery of new information that guided the study to new insights
about leadership communication phenomena at the company.
The interviews were individual 60 – 90 minute sessions with the participants and
were used to gain insight into the participants’ experiences or views. The interviews for
this study were primarily more formal, with questions planned in advance, leveraging the
open-ended question format to derive data from the participants. The initial interviews
included the same questions, which were all held by one person (me). I performed all the
interviews, which helped to ensure consistency in the interview implementation and
helped establish greater validity. However, I also used informal interviews
(conversation) as needed to allow for more flexibility than if strictly formal interviews
were used. Ideally, I sought to interview about 10 Millennial employees and 10 company
leaders.
The observations included periodic worksite observation sessions of 30 to 60
minutes, including attending at least 25 team meetings hosted by managers throughout
the company. I attended and observed more than 10 quarterly scheduled town hall
meetings held by various company executives as well as any interim meetings, such as
organizational change announcement meetings. I used presentation materials from the
meetings as well as any post-meeting survey results, where permissible, from the
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meetings that I attended throughout the research period. I collected the observation data
over time to address research questions 2 and 3, respectively:
• Do employees use more collaborative, two-way communication as the
company applies new strategy and undergoes shifts in location?
• How are the combination of globalization, mobile technology, and social
media affecting the style, delivery, and forums for communication at work,
and how does each impact the way that leaders communicate differently?
These observations were triangulated with interview responses to answer the research
questions and capture any change or impact that occurred during the research.
Most live meetings at this company are video-streamed and recorded. I received
permission to use the nonproprietary information from these meetings. Additionally, I
incorporated journal writing into my research, as I have been journaling throughout this
process to document my own reflections and thoughts to help harness personal biases. I
maintained thorough notes to alleviate bias and capture the true essence of what the
participant says or shows during the study, observation, or interviews.
Data Analysis Plan
Data analysis in qualitative field research is an ongoing process; it is an iterative
process that allows data to be refined as the researcher gathers more information. In this
case study the interview transcriptions and field notes were increasingly vital to this
research because they serve as both data that informed me throughout the analysis phase
and, when reported, data that informs the audience and supports the validity of the study.
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The data analysis consisted of a combination of several techniques, including the
following:
1. Thematic analysis was used to identify patterns, specifically seeking patterns
from random data. Patton (2002) stated, “content analysis is used to refer to
any qualitative data reduction and sense-making effort that takes a volume of
qualitative material and attempts to identify core consistencies and meanings”
(p. 453). I analyzed data to determine themes and patterns.
2. Inductive and deductive analysis was a secondary type of analysis that I used.
According to Patton (2002), “once patterns, themes, and/or categories have
been established through inductive analysis, the final, confirmatory stage of
qualitative analysis may be deductive in testing and affirming the authenticity
and appropriateness of the inductive content analysis” (p. 454). Inductive and
deductive analysis helped me to refine the data that I used in my assessment.
This analysis can be implemented in the form of social change in sharing the
inductive data results with leaders and determining possible applications or
interim test scenarios.
3. Logical analysis was leveraged since it involves determining emerging
patterns that researchers develop by crossing information and reviewing data
in a different way or different dimensions. It was important for me to cross-
reference information from the participants.
4. Comparative analysis uses comparison to make generalizations across several
participants. It can help to identify patterns that emerge across participants.
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(Patton, 2002, p. 492) Additionally, it helps establish validity in studies as
findings can be reinforced through comparison of data.
These varied techniques allowed me to study several different inputs to eliminate
improper generalizations, and assisted in validation by including varied perspectives and
backgrounds based on the participants selected.
Issues of Trustworthiness
I employed several strategies to establish credibility in my study. Specifically, I
personally transcribed the interviews so that I could discover emerging thoughts and get a
feel for the cumulative data as I listened to the recordings. I used observation worksheets
to collect data throughout the study. Additionally, I collected meeting materials,
organizational survey data, applicable and HR reports to triangulate with my observations
data, and interview data.
I leveraged direct participant quotes to derive the codes and thereby alleviate
unintentional bias and data manipulation that could occur if using purely my individual
thoughts and experiences. Direct information from varied sources helped to prevent data
manipulation when organizing data and limit personal bias, which could have affected
this study. Additionally, I stuck to the context of the study, the corporate global
environment for Millennials, to alleviate the issue of too much data to analyze. Staying
within context is particularly important in case study because of the inductive nature of it.
I focused on the problem, purpose, and research questions for this study, which helped
me to eliminate any preconceived notions and allow new ideas to emerge.
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The approach included the exact words within the text to determine themes within
my research and ultimately develop interpretations of the data that supported the study.
This approach helped me develop emerging codes. I monitored information carefully to
avoid issues of personal bias, as well as ethical concern that could arise because of my
position in the company relative to the participants. Interviews and journals provided
direct information about the participants that I cross-referenced and triangulated to ensure
validity.
I used QSR’s NVivo, developed and released in 1999 by QSR cofounder Tom
Richards, to facilitate the process. This tool helped to organize the data and supported
the research with evidence uncovered and presented in the tool to back up the findings.
NVivo is a popular tool used by students and professionals performing qualitative and
mixed-method research.
NVivo has garnered several awards for technology effectiveness and is used
widely by researchers in over 150 countries. It is well vetted for reliability in its function
as a product used to manage nonnumeric data. The tool fits well with case study and
provides technique to organize data based on the information discovered during the
study. Given the right data, the study could produce great information for its audience
about the target population in the context (Millennials in organizations within large
corporations).
The NVivo tool provides great support for qualitative research. It is critical to use
a robust tool to facilitate data gathering, organization, and presentation of the data in the
study. The NVivo tool acted as a central repository for this study’s internal and external
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resources including books, articles, and interview transcriptions. It allowed me to review
the data and organize participants’ thoughts using codes. It was particularly useful
because of its ability to allow researchers to develop themes and manipulate information
to determine how it relates to the study. These data management techniques were used to
facilitate data analysis for the study.
During comparative analysis I monitored for data saturation (a point where no
additional unique data is found to contribute to the study). Since the data determined the
direction of this study, I took specific care to analyze the sample against saturation. I
guarded against situations that could cause the study to conclude prematurely due to error
in the sample size since an insufficient number of participants could result in false
assumptions about the data.
To support transferability, I ensured that the data collection phase of my study
generated data from interviews, personal journals, and observation. This included
interview transcripts and observation field notes as well as images, articles, and other
relevant items from external sources. Data collection for this study required patience to
execute an iterative process to appropriately analyze data and uncover the important
information that is needed to serve the audience. The qualitative methodology allowed
me to triangulate data, which helped reinforce the reliability and contribute to the
thickness of the information required for this study and its results. The responses and
information provided by the Millennials and leaders was crucial to the study because the
data drives the research, as characteristic of any qualitative study. The data obtained
through observation added another layer of information that helped refine the study.
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I used observation to study Millennial employee collaboration habits and
communication methods, and then document how the workforce is currently using
technology and media and whether there are communication tactics that leaders can
benefit from in communicating with the workforce. I also observed how leaders
interacted with their employees, in order to collect information on communication style
and reactions. I observed as an outsider in many instances, but I acted as a participant
observer in other settings to understand how leadership interacts with all generations in
the workforce. The observations added more data that I used to compare and contrast
against the interview sample data.
I provided all of the coding for this study to establish dependability and ensured
that I considered all data points that I collected. I specifically performed all of the
interviews and observations, recorded the interviews, and took notes the same way with
each observation. Additionally, I was able to review the company’s survey data results to
incorporate triangulation into the study using another source.
To confirm the data I leveraged the quotes from the interviews and took a neutral
stance in documenting any comments that I heard and behaviors that I observed. I was
able to review my notes during data analysis and cross-reference information obtained
from the interviews. This allowed me to confirm and audit the data throughout data
collection and data analysis.
Protection of Participants’ Rights and Informed Consent
Each participant was introduced to the study via an overview, which I used to
describe the study, and then was asked to voluntarily participate. Interview participants
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had the opportunity to opt out at any time throughout the study. I engaged with the
participants as deemed necessary throughout the research, and as based on the data,
themes, and categories that emerged. Additionally, I asked participants to contact me at
any time to discuss their thoughts and responses. I also asked them to be available to
confirm the information they had provided, if needed, after the interviews.
Ethical Procedures
I obtained a verbal agreement to gain access to participants prior to submitting the
IRB application. A sample of this document is included in Appendix C. My community
research partner agreed to assist in participant recruitment and/or data collection prior to
submitting their letter of cooperation with this IRB approval. This helped ensure that I
could use purposeful recruitment strategy based on my affiliation with the organization.
Real names and irrelevant personal data were not used in this dissertation and review
results. The intention of this study, to share information, was presented and reinforced
throughout its duration to ensure the information will be received well by stakeholders
and is informative in ways that improve associate performance.
Participation in the study was strictly voluntary to avoid any perception of
coercion. My role as a researcher was emphasized to ensure participant recognize the
separation from my role in the company. I took thorough notes, using my self-designed
instruments to alleviate bias and capture the true essence of what the participant stated or
showed during the study, observation or interviews. I also took special care to ensure to
include the right participants, information, and detail to support the work. The
anticipated benefits of this research for individual participants is minimal; however, since
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I assessed the needs of the newest generation of corporate business operations and
information technology (IT) employees to determine how some external factors will
influence the leadership communication, the participants’ thoughts and perspectives will
be important because they will help to shape the study.
As stated in the theoretical framework section of Chapter 1, leadership
communication impacts leadership effectiveness and worker performance. Therefore,
this exploration of evolving technology and communication forums is critical to examine
how they may affect leadership effectiveness for the Millennial generation. I used paper,
an audio recorder, and my personal computer during data collection. I also captured
observation notes using the Pages app on my iPad that I ultimately stored in Nvivo. I
used my iPad to view some video-streamed meetings that I attended remotely) or
attended over the web (web meetings). Video is used for some executive conferences
that I observed. However, I did not videotape any interviews or observation sessions. I
stored all data on my personal devices and computer.
All information is password protected and locked away so that no one has access
to it except for me. To facilitate accuracy of data collection, I conducted all interviews
and transcription to ensure better consistency in the delivery and accuracy of data. I will
store all data on my computer and maintain backup copies for at least 5 years and then
dispose of it. Participants could back out of the research at any time during the study;
participation is voluntary. The study and data are not dependent on any one source of
information. If any breaches or a conflict of interest occurred and reassessment becomes
necessary, a re-plan would have occurred to address the issue or discontinue the study. I
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will approach the participants. The names, personal information, and any revealing
descriptive information will not be associated to the data, interviews, and responses.
To prepare for any ethical issues, I conducted preliminary interviews with the
participants to ensure that they understood the purpose of the study and the concepts
being studied. I approached the participants in person. The names, personal information,
and any revealing descriptive information will not be associated to the data, interviews,
and responses. The participants were required to sign informed consent forms, which
outlined the study goals and their role in the study. All information was confidential. I
received permission from the participants and the worksite in advance. Further, I
communicated with the participants periodically throughout the study to inform them of
theories identified as well as supporting information (or findings) to ensure there was not
a breach of trust.
Summary
This exploration of evolving technology and communication forums to determine
how these factors may change leadership influence on the Millennial demographic is
critical. This study leveraged the process outlined in the introduction of this chapter to
discover data and information, using a case study approach to drive the research forward.
The research was complex because of the broad range of topics that I chose to bring
together to see how they interacted, in order to introduce new knowledge about
leadership communication.
Leaders must be cognizant of current trends and theories, as well as processes that
others are using, thinking about, or studying, to remain successful leaders in the future.
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During this study, I used qualitative methods to assess the needs of the latest generation
of employees to determine how this information influenced current leadership trends that
could help address the gap in current literature and current leadership practices. The key
factors highlighted by the research questions have changed organizational
communication in new and different ways.
The information obtained as a result of this case study has also helped to educate
others and influenced how people communicate best to ensure that the work gets done
every day. This study contributed to improvements in leadership and consequently
worker performance as interviews and discussion of the topic sparked new thoughts while
participants reflected on their answers to the interview questions. I explored leadership
theory and concepts throughout the research as described in this chapter and then
throughout the implementation of the study.
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Chapter 4: Results
The purpose of this study was to assess Millennial employees and leaders to
determine the preferred leadership communication style in light of globalization, mobile
technology, and social media, and thereby to identify how leaders could best
communicate with employees. The case study methodology was employed to help
answer the following research questions:
1. What is the perceived impact of globalization, mobile technology, and social
media on leadership communication styles and effectiveness?
2. How do employees use more collaborative, two-way communication as the
company applies new strategy and undergoes shifts in location?
3. How are the combination of globalization, mobile technology, and social
media affecting the style, delivery, and forums for communication at work,
and how does each impact the way that leaders communicate differently?
4. What is the relationship between globalization and collaborative forums such
as social media?
5. How are certain communication methods or styles more effective than
others for leaders, individual contributors, or both?
6. How do two-way, frequent communication influence company performance in
Millennials, including adherence and achievement of set goals?
In this chapter I reviewed the execution and results of the study, which included
interviews as well as formal and informal observations and how these compared to the
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literature discussed in Chapter 2. I organized the results by the research questions as
written in this paragraph.
Research Setting
The study was very timely as the study site was undergoing several changes to
meet a strategy of being world-class. Therefore specific efforts and strategy were
implemented that included global strategy; a location strategy was launched just prior to
the inception of the study that resulted in organizational structure changes, changes to the
organizational footprint in the United States, and changes in leadership that occurred
during the study window. The company experienced several site closures while opening
up two new hubs and redesigning and renovating several existing hub sites. Thousands
of people were impacted by the changes as existing employees either retired, left the
company, relocated, or experienced significant changes in the associates they worked
with on their teams, while still attending to the day-to-day business goals and objectives.
The complexity of multiple simultaneous changes significantly influenced the
population of the study, interview responses, and state of the organization over the 18
months that the study took place. These factors had significant influence on how
communication might be altered to help the company adjust to the changing
demographics, strategy, and organizational footprint and remain effective as an
organization. Throughout the study I focused on tracking how these changes over time
might impact the data, analysis, and results. In fact, a key driver of the study was to
analyze how globalization, mobile technology, and social media might influence
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communication over time. The time frame of the study helped to track this company
during this pivotal time of change and growth.
Demographics
There were several participants included in the study as part of the interview
process and observations. I interviewed nine Millennial employees, eight non-Millennial
leaders, including 2 Millennial leader participants as part of this study. The participants
reflected the company’s workforce and were diverse in culture, ethnicity, age, sex, and
experience within and outside of the company.
As part of the interview process I used purposeful selection to include participants
from various U.S. regions, business functions, IT organizations, and departments at the
company. I also included several survey-like questions at the end of the interview to get
a feel for each participant’s exposure to and level of expertise with mobile technology
and social media. Although I originally targeted more than 20 participants, factors such
as data saturation and changing population, which made it difficult to find willing and
available participants, influenced the count of the sample data used for this study.
The observations were conducted on 15 town hall structured meetings hosted by
senior leaders throughout the company in six locations. Many of the meetings were
video-streamed and recorded so as to allow both in-person and remote access to the
messages and information shared in the meeting. Many of the meetings included global
participation and allowed for question-and-answer (Q&A) segments for those attending.
A third data stream came from 10 periodic onsite observations that allowed me to
sit and observe employees at several locations across the United States in formal and
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informal meeting setting throughout the study. These mostly focused on manager-to-
associate and peer-to-peer interactions to observe how the communication took place and
its perceived effectiveness. The onsite observations also helped to determine any
changes in how people communicated or leveraged tools as the organization’s workforce
and availability of resources—including mobile technology and collaboration tools—
changed over time.
Data Collection
This study took place at the company over 18 months, from spring 2014 through
summer 2015, with 17 interview participants and the observations of hundreds of
associates at six different sites across the United States. The observations included
informal and formal settings where leaders shared and exchanged information with
organizations and teams using various communication forums and styles. Each of the six
executive leaders hosted quarterly updates that contributed to the observations used in
this study. Additionally, I was able to formally observe seven of the leader interview
participants in meetings and informally observe several other leaders across the company.
The participants were based in six different sites across the United States:
Somerset and Bridgewater, New Jersey; Charlotte and Cary, North Carolina; Clarks
Summit, Pennsylvania; and New York City. One third of the data were collected in the
first six months of the study, one third of the data were collected in the second six months
of the study, and the final third of the data were collected in the last six months of the
study. I used self-developed instruments developed for this particular study that were
approved by the IRB for all of the data that I collected.
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I employed a purposeful selection approach that required confidentiality.
Therefore, some participants were selected based on two public requests for volunteers
that allowed me to choose participants from those who contacted me individually. Other
participants were selected as a result of impromptu conversation followed by my direct
request to participate in the study. All interview participants were required to review and
provide consent using the consent forms approved by the IRB. Additionally, I received
permission from the site leader and the company to do the observations and use the site
locations in the study.
I used a personal recording device to audio-record each interview. Once I
completed an interview I used Dragon software to do first interpretations from audio into
text files and then personally manually transcribed each interview into a Word template
that I designed based on the interview instrument. All of the observations were collected
into a similar template designed for the observation instrument.
After 80% of all data were collected and transcribed, in spring 2015, I loaded the
data collected into the NVivo software tool to initiate data analysis. The data in NVivo
included the results of my literature review, interview transcriptions, and observation
data. I was able to use the data recorded in NVivo to develop codes based on word
frequency, interview participant demographic analysis, and cross-referencing codes
across sources.
I used a manual coding process to identify themes across the interviews. In this
process I used a spreadsheet to track themes uncovered in each interview with one
column for each interview and 1 row for each interview question. I noted each new
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theme and noted any similar responses across interview participants. I used the themes
uncovered in my manual coding process to uncover additional codes to use for analysis in
the data stored within NVivo.
When I initially presented my data collection plan in Chapter 3, I had assumed
that I would complete data collection in one year. However, the population at the site
only included a small percentage of associates that fit the Millennial demographic and
there were several changes in human resources impacting the population. This posed
some challenges since any participation needed to be voluntary, and to avoid possible
indications of coercion I needed to select participants from other departments outside of
my team.
As the company’s location strategy took hold, more participants in the Millennial
demographic became available, but they would not meet the one-year experience
criterion. As the workforce shifted, the company underwent several changes in
leadership as well. Therefore, I needed to be careful to include participants who would
be available for observation for the duration of the study. These changing circumstances
introduced the need for additional scrutiny and decisions in my selection process to
ensure that a level of consistency was maintained in order to have data integrity.
Data Analysis
I used the instruments that I created for data collection to facilitate my transition
from data collection to analysis. I was able to easily code the documents into categories
and themes that related back to the research questions. I also purchased a license and
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used NVivo software to organize my data into groups and derive graphical and pictorial
representations of the data that helped determine codes and streamline the data analysis.
Specifically, I leveraged the automated word count function in NVivo software as
one starting point. After I organized and loaded my data sources into NVivo it was
helpful to collect the top 100 words of five or more characters used throughout the study.
These 100 most frequently mentioned words are shown in Figure 1. I used the
transcribed interviews and observations to identify potential themes within the text. Once
I manually identified codes, I used the codes in the query function within NVivo to verify
some of the themes and information that I identified during the transcription process.
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Figure 1. A word cloud of the top 100 words used in interviews.
It was an easy way to start the process of reviewing the data and to determine
areas within the data that should be further analyzed. I was able to pull phrases in one
document and compare them to phrases containing the same or similar words in other
documents. I then narrowed down the word list into the following eight codes:
• Global
• Leader
• Option
• Productivity
communicationthink
people
mobilization
leaders
leadershipcompany’ th
ings
going
really
impact
persons
influence
millennials
years
style
meeting
something
phoneunderstand
business
organizational
level
making
message
probably
allow
individual
conversation
experienced
group
perspectivesomeone
directslittle
across
become
include
often
research
still
challengeanswer
neededeasier
videos
opportunities
expect
senior
implement
devicesfacilitate
everythingprojects
leverage
somebody
focusfacebook
stuff
demographic
point
process
anything
necessarily
based
countries
specific
everybody
conference
matter
office
great
teams
world
another
access
together
example
whole
aspect
respect
sharepoint
tablet
otherscontext
first
today
subject
workplace
outside
environments
goals
biggestglobe
throughout
several
smart
daily everyone
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• Rule or guide
• Security
• Strategy
• Flexibility.
The word count led to phrases that uncovered themes regarding the benefits of or gaps in
mobile technology and social media use in the workplace at this particular worksite.
Once I narrowed down the data, I was also able to run queries to find specific
instances of these words and the context within the interviews and observation
worksheets. After I loaded the information into NVivo, I was able to dissect the data into
categories that distinguished the responses from Millennials and non-Millennials as well
as leaders and nonleaders. This helped to further refine any findings to create the final
results.
In addition to NVivo, I used Microsoft Excel to organize data that I manually
coded. Although I didn’t schedule the interviews in any particular order, I started data
analysis with the first interview and summarized ideas expressed by the participant for
each question. Next, I compared the ideas of one participant to all others to determine if
the thoughts were similar or unique. I used this compare-and-contrast strategy to
determine themes expressed across all of the interviews for each interview question. I
also used the self-designed instrument to determine how the themes uncovered within and
across interviews aligned with each research question. I was able to compare the codes
electronically surfaced in NVivo to themes manually identified using Excel to further
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narrow down the data to focused themes and information relating to the interview
questions.
I collected unique categories and then combined them into themes as they related
to each research question. Since the interview and observation tools were organized by
research question I was able to cross-reference the data, organize it, and then condense it.
Finally, I triangulated the information I obtained against other sources—company
surveys, HR data, and so forth.
I found the data collected regarding research question 1, perceived impact of
globalization, mobile technology, and social media on leadership communication,
fascinating. It revealed a general consensus in the interviews that although the company
has a presence and conducts business in several countries around that globe it does not
operate as one global company, not in its operation and infrastructure (Participant B,
Participant I). This was a key theme that helped me understand the mindset of the
participants at the site. Through the interviews I was also able to pick up a disparity
between leaders and associates who were not leaders, and the impact of these factors was
more obvious in responses and information shared from executive leaders as opposed to
more junior associates.
Another theme that surfaced is the direct impact to the business now having to
provide products that can be used as customers and associates travel from one country to
another; therefore business associates were forced to rethink how to perform business
activity (Participant F, Participant H). One leader stated that “We have people who travel
into the states that we will be able to provide insurance just so the people can move
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around; and then also when people who are leaving [the United States], they still have
their insurance when they’re leaving, going to other countries” (Participant F). As the
company expands its global footprint it is essential to develop products that speak to the
changes in how and where business is executed and the changing needs of its customers.
Many of the Millennials stressed the desire to have more access to the
information about what was happening across the globe. For example, one Millennial
stressed that looking for a job at the company and finding out about offices in places
outside the United States is difficult, in his statement that:
Recently I was looking for job postings outside the United States. It’s kind of a
secret to get to those sites for the other countries. Its like we know we’re global,
we know we’re out there, but if you’re working in the U.S. and you’re not in one
of those positions [that works with other countries] it doesn’t really impact you as
much. (Participant D)
This was also apparent in the observation of quarterly leadership meetings. Most
meetings focused on the targeted audience or region.
All participants identified mobile technology as a useful tool. Specifically,
Millennials and leaders recognized it as very influential in the way that they work in that
it helps a lot (Participant B, Participant I). One leader stated that
I think [mobile technology] influences [the work] a lot because…it makes it more
of an agile workplace. So you can take an appointment in the middle of the day
and still know what’s going, you know, on back at the office. I think it’s good
because you’re not tied as a leader and manager, not having to be tied down to the
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desktop. It gives you more time to actually make plans to travel, see other
locations, and have more flexibility. I think the different types of technologies that
we’re doing, [e.g.] putting Good on your phones so you’re not carrying a
Blackberry all around, you know, and stuff like that…and even now some of the
things with now like the [Intranet site] that they put out on mobile the release
[app]—just anything that’s enabling people not to have to be in, in a management
role, not tied down, enabled to get out there and meet people and do different
things. I think this has really been helpful. (Participant I)
Several participants noted the flexibility that comes with leveraging their mobile phones
and VPN remote access on their laptops to balance work and personal commitments
(Participant A, Participant D, Participant E, Participant G).
Another theme uncovered was that although mobile technology is very influential
to the way we work, there is no structure or strategy around its use (Participant C,
Participant D, Participant H). One leader stated that “mobile [is] a massive consideration
and the fact is that, like it or not, it’s here. And I say that because there isn’t a real
strategy around it and there isn’t someone identified who would be the owner of such
strategy if it did exist… And [so], as important as it is and as influential as it is, it’s not
being addressed quite as significantly as one might expect” (Participant H). The data
indicated mobile technology is core to the success in productivity, global access, and the
new agile culture at the site, although some indicated that the company should implement
a targeted strategy, standards, and guidelines for its use.
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Social media was not viewed as having much if any impact on leader
communication at the research site. Some participants indicated that social media has no
direct impact at work (Participant A, Participant B, Participant D, Participant E) while
others pointed out that it allows colleagues and customers to connect to people and find
out information without meeting someone in person (Participant B, Participant F,
Participant P). Most participants were acutely aware that social media was being
monitored by the company and felt the need to be cautious about what they posted and
how they were presented online.
Each theme uncovered more information about how globalization, mobile
technology, and social media affected how people worked at the site. I applied the same
process for all of my research questions. The responses were vast in perspective and
provided a huge amount of insight. I amassed hundreds of pages of data throughout the
interview and observation process. I didn’t discard any of the information that I gathered
since my goal was to get new ideas and information about how globalization, mobile
technology, and social media might influence leader communication. All perspectives
were valid even if they differed from the majority because everyone had different
functions and roles within the company.
Evidence of Trustworthiness
Credibility
During data analysis I leveraged direct participant quotes to derive the codes, as
indicated in Chapter 3, to alleviate unintentional bias and data manipulation that could
occur if using purely my individual thoughts and experiences. I used the information that
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I gathered from various sources while suppressing my own opinions to prevent data
manipulation when collecting data, and then organized the data obtained from this study
into codes and themes. Additionally, I stayed within the context of the study, the
corporate global environment for Millennials, to help narrow the data used to analyze
leadership communication and stay focused and on topic.
Transferability
One strategy that I used to maintain transferability of the study was enlisting
participants from different locations, functions, experiences, and roles within the
company. However, as I stated in the introduction, although the data will not be
generalizable beyond the sample, I targeted a sample appropriate in the context of this
case study through purposeful selection. Since the study focuses on Millennials exposed
to leadership communication in the context of the target company, the opinions expressed
may not represent worldwide views of other Millennial professionals. Furthermore, these
Millennial participants may have limited experience that reflects narrow views of the
corporate environment. Since this study concerns the influence of globalization, mobile
technology, and social media on Millennials, the Millennial participants provided useful
insights about communication phenomena since they are demographically the largest
global user group. The leaders outside of the Millennial demographic helped to balance
out the data. The instruments and population can be reused to get additional data to
continue work on any progress and shifts in communication and to determine more
current data, trends, and future possibilities.
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Dependability
I used the strategies as described in Chapter 3, although the time frame extended
beyond the initial year allocated by the IRB. Preliminary results showed trends in the
data surfaced and persisted in the first half of the interviews. As the purpose of the study
was to uncover information and analyze the site over time, the additional time allowed
me to include and follow additional participants in a consistent manner to other
participants interviewed or observed initially, and to give a more complete assessment of
the organization. It also allowed me to gather additional information from the focus
subject: Millennials associates. The workforce at the subject site underwent considerable
change as more retirement-eligible associates retired and associates in the Millennial
generation joined the population.
Confirmability
I leveraged the research questions and alignment to categories as listed in the
instrumentation section Table 2 of Chapter 3. This allowed the interviewee to understand
the context of the questions when asked to allow for more variations in the answers
throughout the interview. I did not field-test the interview guide with three to five people
in the company as initially planned, since getting enough interviews became a challenge
once the location strategy was implemented and the resource pool shifted. However,
during the first interview I was able to adjust the questioning by leading with the context,
using each category for each section of questions as indicated in the table instead of just
asking the questions. This also helped ensure that the questions were clear to
participants, suggested ways to streamline the responses in future interviews, and reduced
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the interview time, which averaged about one hour. I applied the adjustments to the
interview protocol to all subsequent interviews sessions to enable consistency across all
the interviews.
Study Results
The information uncovered in the study aligned with the Situational, LMX, and
Transformational theories discussed in Chapter 1. I also found that several topics
discussed in Chapter 2 literature review—namely (a) the influence of globalization,
innovation, and technology on leadership communication; (b) the influence Millennials
have on communication in business; (c) the role of leadership communication in a global
company; and (d) leadership communication effectiveness—surfaced throughout the
study. This case study helped to uncover how these items might be influenced in the
subject company. I have organized the results by the research questions that I outlined in
Chapter 1.
Research question 1: What is the perceived impact of globalization, mobile
technology, and social media on leadership communication styles and effectiveness?
Although most participants acknowledged some gaps in information communicated,
technology use, and process standards, all indicated that the company was either already
operating globally in their particular business function or moving in that direction.
Outside of the company’s location strategy, which directly impacted about 10% of the
U.S.-based associates (the company intranet), globalization had not had a lot of impact
directly on the day-to-day operation for most associates as most areas still exist and
operate in silos; however, it has increased awareness of other countries, cultures, and
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business practices. As discussed in the Transformational Leadership theory,
communication is a vital part of transformation. Many participants recognized the gap in
global operations and acknowledged the need to overcome the operational deficiencies
before being able to thrive as a global company.
More senior leaders recognized the impact globalization had on the business and
tied it to various company strategies and goals. A key component of this strategy was to
establish core values to promote a global mindset; these values were discussed in
leadership meetings to promote more cohesiveness and awareness of other areas within
the company. Another component that I observed from the leadership meetings was to
tie goals and objectives for the company to these core values and implement standard
training and tools across the company for all people managers.
Some leader participants noted that the U.S.-based associates are forced to think
outside of U.S. culture, customs, and business (Participant C, Participant J). One leader
stated that:
We’re a global company, but people still use the term offshore. How can it be
offshore if we’re global? So I think the way that it has influenced the way that we
work is basically trying to change the mindset of individuals... So in certain
aspects it’s really changing the mindset of individuals who are sitting here in the
United States because people outside the [United States] get it. So I think that the
impact to the way that we work is [the associates] really understanding that the
power and the information doesn’t stop here” (Participant C).
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Globalization is forcing associates across the globe to change their mindset to think
globally in day-to-day work and future strategy.
Other leaders also observed the shift in mindset. One stated, “it’s been a very
sharp shift in perspective in terms of having to consider other countries and other areas”
(Participant H). There’s been a sharp shift in terms of the mindset of the company to
consider other projects and other perspectives, globally, in terms of prioritization and
planning. Another leader echoed similar sentiments in stating that
I think [globalization] going to lead to getting more, more technology-driven
communication between individuals—telepresence and video-conferencing [and
things] like that. I hope that we expand that more, so that people get used to
different cultures and people from cultures and seeing those interactions and
mannerisms, but I’m not sure about that yet. I think we’re still little new to the
global community to see the results of that. (Participant I)
So participants most noticed a shift starting to occur in how associates think, interact, and
work every day.
I observed a shift in executive leadership meetings that started to incorporate
technology to allow people across the globe to participate in the meeting via
videoconference and video streaming. Additionally, panelists from finance and various
business organizations in the company were brought in to present along with the keynote
speaker so that the communications didn’t just come from one leader, top-down.
Interview participants made the same observation. Whereas in years prior you rarely
heard about the business in other countries and continents, in the past three years
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executive leaders purposely incorporated global information and updates, even bringing
in panelists to deliver updates from their respective areas (Participant K, Participant N,
Participant O, Participant Q).
Customers internal and external to the company want to understand more about
their business partners and the company. One participant stated:
My agents look me up. So now they can actually see my face. I’ve had several
people want to see if I look like my voice, or to see my age, what I know about
life insurance. I think they’re thinking Facebook or LinkedIn will show whether
or not I know what I’m talking about, but it’s brought us closer together as well
where I can form a better relationship with someone when they look me up on
Facebook, even though you still have to be careful because they’re not your
friends. Just, ‘Oh I didn’t know you read that book,’ or ‘I didn’t know you like
swimming,’ or whatever it is, you know. There’s just that little added
connection… And then I know the [Disability Insurance] people that look at claim
and stuff. They can look at Facebook and see who’s telling the truth (Participant
F).
Social media has helped customers become increasingly savvy in how and when they do
business. Others participants pointed out that it helps them stay connected to industry
information and to network with people in the industry. So although social media hasn’t
influenced the job for most participants in their current roles, it allows associates to stay
connected to work and industry associates (Participant C, Participant E, Participant I).
One Millennial mentioned that
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One of the things that we’ve used social media for is when people leave the
company, and staying in touch with them and then kind of having that separation.
So okay, you want to have a social network at work, but you don’t really want
your social life connected to your work life. So social media allows you to be
connected with work people but still separate from work programs as, I guess,
ways of communicating.
Other Millennial participants seemed to want a clear separation between work and
personal lives and tried to keep the information on social media separate from work
(Participant B, Participant D, Participant N), while leaders were excited to see how they
could leverage the data from social media to elevate the business (Participant H,
Participant K).
One participant summarized the company’s status on incorporating social media.
This leader and early adopter stated that
[Social media] comprises about 23 hours of my day right now, and so I’m looking
at it from a different perspective because I think that in terms of the way that it
influences the way that I personally work, I have connected with a lot of
leadership, influencers, and people who post on that topic—people who I think
are influential in the various areas that my team functions in… And I’ve been
pretty aggressive about working with people within the team to encourage them to
connect, and I think that the prevalence of information as a result of just
connecting through social media is astounding. From that development
perspective, from, you know, what we’re doing in terms of our work functions,
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[there’s] no change within the team, really, in terms of work tasks. From a
managerial perspective, and I mentioned the leadership perspective before, but
from the managerial perspective I have connected with a lot of people online. I
have weeded out a number of people; you know that for here in Charlotte we’re
hiring a ton of people. [Social media] weeded out a number of people. There was
someone who, her name was really quite interesting, and so I looked her up, and
instead of her LinkedIn profile coming up it was a full-page mug shot because
she’d stabbed and then tried to shoot someone. So you know that the prevalence
of information is just really astounding. (Participant H)
Since social media is still a relatively new tool for internal business customers, its use and
the strategy around it for business purposes is still in its infancy.
Research question 2 helped me to examine collaboration and communication
style. It specifically asked if employees would use more collaborative, two-way
communication as the company applies new strategy and undergoes shifts in location.
Early in the data collection process, leader and Millennial participants indicated that they
had not experienced any overt or explicit influence of social media on leader
communication; however, they experienced hints of change (Participant A, Participant B,
Participant D, Participant G, Participant H).
The level of experience and exposure to leaders varied for each individual, which
surfaced as an indication of some disparity in communication and perspective between
Millennials and non-Millennials. While many leaders acknowledge the need to bring in
new technology, update processes, and adjust their communication style to accommodate
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the changing workforce, most of the Millennials stated that although they like and
appreciate the new work environment (part of the company’s location strategy), they
don’t want to be treated differently and they strive to adapt quickly to be successful in
their roles (Participant D, Participant E, Participant F, Participant O).
One leader remarked that, “globally, when I was traveling abroad, I noticed they
use [social media] more there than we do here [in the United States]” (Participant C). As
for the ability of communication from a global perspective, the company and more
specifically investment as a whole uses social media outside of the United States more
than internally or inside the United States. While other leaders remarked that although
there aren’t specific guidelines for using social media, leaders have become more
cautious and expect employees to represent the company in a professional manner
(Participant F, Participant M, Participant P). However, most of the Millennials
interviewed stated that they didn’t see any impact of social media on leader
communication (Participant D, Participant G, Participant H). One Millennial observed
that:
I think just when they present town hall meetings I notice now that instead of
them having to go on roadshows and go from city to city to city to make sure
everybody gets their message, they can do the videos that are really popular now
and then they can video stream their town hall meetings and have WebEx’s and
teleconferences versus everything being in person, but in terms of getting
information out I think they tend to stick to email communication and more
traditional written documents (Participant D).
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Regarding mobile technology, most Millennials agreed that leaders use it. One interview
participant stated that, “the only technology that I see senior leadership use, like the iPad
when [a senior VP] used it, at least used to use it... Other technology, I’ve seen a laptop.
Other than that I haven’t seen anything innovative” (Participant B). Others focused in on
mobile phone use and noted that leaders use mobile technology to be more connected to
work (Participant D, Participant E). Some participants commented that leaders use
mobility to be more flexible in their work schedules (Participant E, Participant I). One
Millennial stated:
What I have noticed since being here, there are a lot of diverse work schedules
and [the company] works really—in my opinion—is very open to people’s
schedules. And I’m really having a good work-life balance, and part of that
probably can be attributed to a lot of the mobile technologies. So the ability to
still connect with them on videoconferencing on off-hours versus having to be in
the office or having to be on a conference call or in a meeting room…and then
also just being able to work from home. So I think it influenced leaders to be a lot
more flexible over time and, in my opinion, in just a short time, very much so
here (Participant E).
Most leader participants concurred that mobile technology use has been limited to
extensive used of mobile phones and laptops, but other mobile technology has not been
largely adopted.
One leader admitted that mobile technology use is spotty in terms of how much
and how well mobile technology has been adapted in the company. He mentioned that,
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“I do think there is some disconnect in the 145-year-old insurance company that makes
attempts to be a high-tech company by certain projects as opposed to other companies
totally embracing it” (Participant A). These sentiments parallel some of points taken
from the literature review, that companies often lagged behind in the adoption of new
technologies (Day, 2011). In this example we highlight this observation in the adoption
of mobile technology and social media.
Another leader’s perspective on this highlighted the speed that this has changed
over the past few years. This leader stated that mobile technology use at the company
has grown and changed very rapidly over the past few years. He specifically noted that
This is an area where things have changed so rapidly—it used to be, and because
of my role I’ve always [liked to use] some of the stuff, but I would be the only
one who went to a meeting with an iPad and stylus. Now you see a lot of
people—even my boss, who is 63, does it, and you see other people doing this. I
think that for the amount of business travel that I’ve done, every seat, you know,
there’s somebody sitting there with an iPad… It didn’t matter if it was Blackberry
or iPad. IPad was a major game changer, but the prevalence of information and
the amount of different things that people are reading—and what struck me was
everybody’s reading all these very different things that would’ve been so much
harder to find five years ago, [and] it’s really influencing the way the people are
thinking and functioning. But I think the other thing that’s really having an impact
here is that people are using these things and then, because of the regulatory
environment and knowing that they can’t do some things that they’re seeing other
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people do, there’s a frustration and an exasperation because they want to be active
and they want to participate. And then, understanding where we are, there’s that
immediate in “Oh, you got to be so careful about what you say, what you do, and
how that works,” and all that sort of thing. So I could be using it, but I think it
also brings that sort of challenge. (Participant H)
This early interview gives another example of the frustration some leaders experienced
because they wanted to implement new innovative technology for use at the company,
but cautiously stopped because of the conservative nature of the company, which is
highly regulated, and lack of published guidelines on what could be appropriately
implemented (Participant A, Participant C, Participant H).
However, other leaders, when interviewed several months later, mentioned a shift
to a more agile culture (Participant I, Participant J). One leader stated that:
You can see that there is a concerted effort to try and get more mobile technology
out there and get it into the leadership’s hand, in the manager’s hands. You know,
they’ve pushed the different kinds of—so they pushed out Good [technology] for
the, you know, the cell phone. They’re promoting like the iPad to me to make
everything more mobile for the leadership, so I think that’s good. I don’t know
that it has changed, really, how they are communicating, but I think again it
shows an effort that they’re trying to make it more…more…I don’t want to use
agile again but I will—a more agile place for people to work because they’re not
tied down, and not at just a more senior level. (Participant I)
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More recent interviews, about midway into the location strategy shifts, hint at a noted
difference in the drive to more innovation and increased use of mobile technology and
other communication tools, such as video chatting) (Participant K, Participant L,
Participant Q). Unanimously, when asked the question, “Do you use your smart phone,
social media, or tablet at work?” all participants answered “yes.” But when asked to
qualify whether it was used for work purposes, the answer dwindled down to mobile
phone use. Social media was only notably used at work for marketing, company
branding, and the hiring process. The company used it in some areas, but I observed that
there was not a single, easily accessible policy or regulation as to what employees can
and cannot do with social media, which suppresses how people use it and in some cases
deters people from using it.
For research question 3 I reviewed how the combination of globalization, mobile
technology, and social media might affect the style, delivery, and forums for
communication at work, and how each impact the way that leaders communicate
differently. Most interview participants stated that there was not yet a direct impact on
communication effectiveness. When asked if communication effectiveness was impacted
by globalization, mobile technology, and social media, they responded that it does not
impact them (Participant C, Participant E, Participant F, Participant P). Another theme
included a disconnection between senior leaders and associates regarding organizational
goals. One leader observed the disconnect and a potential opportunity with social media,
stating that:
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I think that [leaders] understand what the goals of the organization are. I’ll give
you an example. At the beginning of the year I was in India and meeting with
both [employees of the company] and our strategic partners... So, I asked people
in the room, the associates, [for] one of the goals for 2014 for your company from
your CEO. Only the managers knew, and only the senior managers knew… So I
would say that if I were to measure the effectiveness of social media, I would
think that one of the primary things the senior management would want is for
individuals to understand the goals of the organization so that they can align what
they do on a daily basis to the goals of the organization. So I think it’s not been
effective at all. (Participant C)
Other leaders agreed that social media can be effective for specific purposes to add value
(Participant A, Participant C, Participant H, Participant I), while many of the Millennials
enjoy its use for personal communication and interaction outside of work, even preferring
to keep the separation between social media and work-related tasks (Participant E,
Participant N, Participant O).
During the span of my study at this particular company, social media didn’t seem
to have much of an impact, but globalization was viewed as having a greater impact on
increased awareness and communication effectiveness (Participant A, Participant I,
Participant L, Participant O, Participant Q). This surfaced as a recurring theme in many
of the interviews. Globalization was also a key topic discussed and observed in my
observation sessions of meetings at all employment levels.
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Research question 4 was used to assess the relationship between globalization and
collaborative forums such as social media. Most participants agreed that collaboration
tool use has increased (Participant A, Participant B, Participant C, Participant E),
although some emphasized that a key tool is primarily used for documentation
(Participant B, Participant E). One Millennial stated that, “I haven’t seen collaboration
being used the way it’s supposed to be” (Participant B). Many of the participants
indicated that SharePoint, which is a strategic collaboration tool for the organization, was
primarily used to store documents.
One leader recognized that although collaboration tools are great tools, they were
not always reliable. She stated, “We use [collaboration tools] all the time. The number
one thing is SharePoint. It works fine when it works fine, and when it doesn’t work you
almost feel…some of the younger staff members have trouble working” (Participant C).
All participants agreed that collaboration tools allowed better multitasking, document
revision history tracking, and improved productivity.
Other participants highlighted that video teleconferencing (VTC) and web
meeting use has also increased since 2012. When asked to indicate the best use of
collaboration tools, some emphasized that WebEx, share drives, and any tool that allows
things to be centrally stored and accessed were the best tools. One participant stated that,
“WebExes, walking people through things, the share drive, you know, just having access
to the cloud. I would say where you can all say things in there, you can pull it out, so if
someone’s not here you can still have access to it.” Therefore participants appreciated
tools that allowed associates to input, access, and share information. When asked, most
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participants agreed that although collaboration forums were not necessary for effective
communication in their organization, they’re helpful.
One Millennial emphasized that it would be great to grow the collaboration forum
feature. He stated:
I would love for the forum aspect to be grown, because I can tell you, I mean, a
few hours of my day is spent on forums trying to see how things work…from a
technology aspect, not necessarily for [the company], but for me to be able to do
my work, I need to ask questions online and get the answers from people that
know the answers to it. Unfortunately, at [the company] there’s no—maybe we
do have the means to do it, to collaborate and have the forums, but I don’t know
what it is and I don’t think anybody else does. For me to post a question to a
forum, then nobody answers…that’s the biggest problem with collaborating. You
know that the organizations, unless people are using it, it’s not going to be
effective, and you know they’re not today. (Participant B)
Other participants acknowledged the gaps in collaboration across the company, and
mentioned two potential barriers: gaps in knowledge of collaboration tools and how to
use them, and the lack of strategy and oversight in implementation and use. Specifically,
one leader stated that, “I don't think that we’re using [collaboration] to the best effect in
all cases, because it requires discipline and oversight, which we don’t have at [the
company]” (Participant A). A theme across the interviews was that despite increased use
and emphasis on collaboration across the company, there are gaps in its implementation,
including training, guidelines, and strategy.
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The next research question, number 5, was used to examine how certain
communication methods or styles are more effective than others for leaders, individual
contributors, or both. When participants were asked if they worked differently with
various employees to be more productive, the most common response was that they adapt
to each individual regardless of whether it’s local or global (Participant B, Participant E,
Participant F, Participant P). They also observed a noticeable change in how leadership
communicates with employees. Leadership communication style is less formal than in
previous years (Participant D, Participant F, Participant G, Participant H, Participant P).
Although less formal, some Millennials shared that the communication is less
interpersonal because the video updates make it harder to ask questions, while others
stated that the communication is more personable and interactive where leaders walk the
floor and engage associates.
This disparity could be attributable to the training given to leaders or to the fact
that there were changes in leadership throughout the study with the focus on Millennials
in the newer locations (via the location strategy) versus the status quo in the established
locations at the company; this may indicate an opportunity for follow-up research. One
leader observed change in leadership communication and stated:
We’ve gone from people who were more, who liked more informal type
communications, like newsletters, to people who don’t. So we’ve stopped doing
stuff like that. So yeah, I think that, and that could just be individual style, where
you’re moving from someone who’s more--who likes that type of interactivity
more than other people who it’s not a focus for them…and I think that just varies
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by the individual taste. I’m not sure if it’s just a big trend or anything.
(Participant J)
Another key observation is the dedication to two-way conversations between
associates. All interview participants stressed the importance of two-way conversations
in the current environment to facilitate the exchange of information as well as making
meetings or discussions more effective. However, the responses were split when
interviewees were asked whether globalization, social media, and mobile technology
impact communication effectiveness. One Millennial participant summed it up in his
response that in some ways it does, in other ways it doesn’t. He stated that:
I mean [sitting] in a room, in a conference room and everybody’s engaged, versus
being over the phone, and when you’re talking directly to a person, technology is
a lot better because obviously makes it a lot easier to do that. But when you’re
working in groups and, you know, working with the big groups, technology I
think is making it worse because everybody knows that [there’s] multitasking
over the phone; everybody does it. (Participant B)
This response was evenly split among both Millennials and leaders, who agreed
that accessibility of information, technology and tools facilitates communication and
helps improve the transfer or communication of information; however, the proximity and
type of meeting may make it more difficult to ensure the message or information is
received in a global environment.
Another theme uncovered regarding leadership communication was that leaders
and Millennials agreed that communication is most effective when it’s not role based, but
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rather it’s based on the individual. Versatility is key: What works for one may not be the
best for the other. However, that doesn’t mean that a certain communication method or
style is better or worse (Participant D, Participant E, Participant I, Participant J). One
Millennial stated that
To be effective is to be versatile. So I think you have to be good at all [types of
communication tools] to reach everyone, because I think what works for one
person may or may not work for the next person. I don’t think necessarily one is
better than the other, but for different people it’s better to communicate with them
in different ways. (Participant D)
This reinforces the Situational Leadership theory discussed in Chapter 1 that states that
effective leaders must be flexible to achieve the best performance from employees.
Finally, with the sixth and last research question, I researched how two-way,
frequent communication influences company performance in Millennials, including
adherence and achievement of set goals. Here, I was able to explore how a new
performance development process and system influenced communication between
leaders and associates and respective performance.
Change theory, according to Bennis, Benne, and Chin (1961), says leaders must
remove any barriers to communication, since a group will master internal communication
systems that allow the group to function appropriately in two phases. In Phase I, the
dependence phase, the group looks for a common goal and desires approval from the
authority figure; in Phase 2 the group takes on a shared responsibility as a group.
Throughout this study I found specific strategy was in place to address potential barriers
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to communication through onboard training for new hires and relocated employees as
well as for the managers, and then setting up buddy groups so that each person could
build the relationships needed to discuss and develop shared goals and be able to connect
with their leaders.
Some codes within the text of the interviews related to the struggle to find
strategy regarding social media and mobile technology use, where associates were
looking for rules and guidelines around mobile technology and social media use.
Additionally, some leaders indicated that a strategy for implementing use of such tools in
their organization was lacking, although there was a keen awareness that the company
had a social media site and hired resources to monitor it for statements about the
company. The company also issued mobile phones to several employees for work
purposes.
LMX theory, as referenced in earlier chapters, stated that differences in the level
of exchange might exist between the leader and each individual follower because a leader
does not interact with the group uniformly, and that the level and quality of interaction
between leaders and employees affects employee performance. When asked how leaders
can do better, most responded that they would appreciate more direct communication
(Participant A, Participant B, Participant E, Participant F, Participant P). However, when
I asked each associate the frequency at which they heard from their leaders and whether it
was adequate, unanimously the response was “often” and “adequately.”
Therefore strategy with regard to change, training, and communication between
leaders and associates, particularly Millennials, seemed to be successful, although
115
specific strategy for mobile technology and social media seemed to be lacking. Strategy
was another code and theme that surfaced in the study. Repeating Nadler (1998) theory
from Chapter 1, each component must fit the strategy before the strategy can succeed (p.
12). Communication must be integrated into organizational change. Further, as new
tools, processes, and organizational structures are introduced, it is important for
associates to understand the strategy for them.
When asked how leaders could communicate more effectively, one leader stressed
the importance of understanding how strategy affects him. One Millennial, in his answer
to the same question, responded that she would like to hear the executive updates. She
stated “quarterly updates about the true strategy of [the company] or each leader speaking
about the strategy and goals and where are they at with those goals and contributing to
those goals and that type thing is important to me. Like, I want to see the big picture”
(Participant E). A common theme among all of the interviewees was the need to
understand the broader strategy and how that ties to the work they do every day.
Mobile phones allow all associates greater flexibility in when and how they
interact at work. Several themes surfaced regarding whether globalization, mobile
technology, and social media facilitated or complicated work. Responses were that (a)
they facilitated communication because they allow people to disseminate information in
various ways (Participant A, Participant B, Participant D, Participant F, Participant P); (b)
they also allow people more options in how they attain information, thereby allowing
individuals to get information in ways that work best for them, in terms of how they feel
most comfortable and how they best absorb information, as well as flexibility in when
116
they can receive information (Participant A, Participant D, Participant E); and (c)
associates appreciated that they were not locked into “having to be there” to get the
message. Most associates viewed flexibility as a positive contributor to disseminate or
attain information that facilitated work and helped them to be more productive.
More recently, in 2015, I observed a posting of mobile guidelines on the company
intranet. Also, the mobile strategy was broadened to encourage collaboration and the
policy opened up to allow any associate level to acquire and use a company-issued
mobile phone at the discretion of their manager. Additionally, the company’s 2015
Organizational Health Survey reviewed improved results from the same survey presented
company-wide in 2012.
Summary
This study revealed several data points that aligned to traditional theories on
leadership. The participant responses and changes observed during this study identified
key opportunities for improved leadership communication that could help close gaps
between associates within the company’s 2015 population. The participant responses and
my direct observations provided hundreds of pages of data, direct quotes, and information
to help determine ideas and perspectives that I will share to support social change.
I summarized the data from this study in Chapter 4, stating that (a) associates
experienced and expressed the impact from globalization and mobile technology at the
company level, but participants felt that the social media did not have significant impact
on their work; (b) many saw opportunity in adopting the collaboration strategy at work
and hoped to see more use, guidelines, and structure to influence more interactive
117
communication between employees; (c) many employees did not feel a direct impact
from globalization, mobile technology, and social media on their work or work
performance, although they appreciated the tools because they helped facilitate
communication and therefore made their jobs easier, especially when communicating
with employees outside of their office location; (d) mobile technology provided great
flexibility in how information is communicated and received at work; (e) more frequent,
direct, and two-way communication helped to drive better performance; and (f) there
could be opportunity for social media use at work if adapted for the right purpose and
implemented strategically.
In Chapter 5 I discuss my assessment of this information as well as
recommendations on how this information could be used to inform leaders about
potential gaps and ideas to trigger better communication and performance.
118
Chapter 5: Discussion, Conclusions, and Recommendations
The purpose of my case study was to assess Millennial employees and leaders in a
Fortune 100 company to determine their preferred leadership communication style in
light of globalization, mobile technology, and social media. This study explored how
leadership communication with Millennials can be improved through better
understanding of available leadership communication methods and current impacts in the
context of this study.
The use of a case study design allowed me to build on theories about effective
leader communication by uncovering new information about effective leader
communication with Millennials. Some key findings were that the employees were
enthusiastic about embracing change, using new technology, and shifting the
communication style to promote new ideas and improve associate performance.
However, many expressed frustration with understanding how to implement strategy that
could best leverage the technology, tools, and talent available in the company.
Interpretation of Findings
The findings from this study included the following:
1. Most associates preferred direct communication
2. Although some had not fully embraced the technology, all agreed that
technology was necessary to communicate most effectively in their role
3. Leaders’ individual communication skill, and their implementation or
adaption of process, tools, and technology makes communications
effective, not the technology alone.
119
4. While Millennials appreciate the focus and changes put in place to attract
and retain them, they are eager to prove themselves as contributing
employees, not just as Millennial employees.
5. Many employees are eager to use mobile technology and social media if
guidelines are produced and there is a purposeful strategy employed to
incorporate them into their work.
6. Most employees feel that globalization has had some effect on the
company’s strategic direction, however it has not affected their day-to-day
job, tasks or performance.
Therefore the adaption and use of newer technology has influenced leadership
communication effectiveness. Globalization created the need for better technology and
tools to allow employees to share ideas and best practices that would help improve
company performance. The data revealed that mobile technology and collaboration tools
have made communication across company locations simpler and facilitated
globalization. Additionally, the influence of social media has permeated the workplace.
The company created specific forums and training to facilitate two-way communication
and hear ideas from Millennials.
The company also trained leaders to promote better adaption of a collaborative
work culture and improve communication with employees throughout the cultural shift
from purely top down directives to collaboration. The data showed that leadership
communication style and frequency has changed throughout the company. This has had a
120
positive impact on employees as the workforce shifted and communication had to shift to
accommodate the company needs to allow for better performance.
Limitations of the Study
The study included a diverse group of participants. However, the sample did not
represent the full population of company employees since participation was voluntary
and I employed purposeful sampling selection. Although as with most case studies the
data is not generalizable, the targeted sample was appropriate in the context of this case
study. The interview and observation protocol enabled me to collect sufficient data with
the given sample size to reinforce its validity. Due to the rapid changes in technology
and in the workforce during the course of the study, the gathered data was only suitable
for examining the then current thoughts, views, and experiences to determine future
trends and possibilities.
Since the study focused on Millennials exposed to leadership communication in
the context of the target company, the opinions expressed do not represent worldwide
views of other Millennial professionals. Most of the Millennial participants had limited
experience at the company and some of their views may be a result of their lack of
familiarity with the company as opposed to a gap in the company. However, the
participants provided useful insights about communication phenomena. Since I am not a
Millennial, I was able to counteract any personal bias by leveraging the participants’
input as the primary data source.
121
Recommendations
One recommendation that I have is that companies should determine the effect of
social media on communication effectiveness within a corporate environment. This may
help to determine if a strategy for using social media as a communication vehicle at work,
for work purposes and internal communication could elevate the performance by
improving communication at all levels within a company. Social media may not be
appropriate for use in daily functions at the role level, but allowing employees to set up
accounts or join certain groups and share information via social media might be useful.
There must be a strategy for this with specific guidelines outlined for this to work. Also,
it cannot be forced upon employees, but promoted and used as another tool or vehicle for
communication.
Implications
This study promotes social change in two ways 1) I shared information about
leader communication and encouraged new thoughts by asking questions during
interviews and 2) I influenced social change when I shared the resulting information
about how globalization, Millennials, social media, and mobile technology use might
impact leadership communication style and effectiveness in the corporate environment.
The information observed and derived from themes uncovered in the interview process
showed opportunity for improved communication and performance given better
application of tools available, resource knowledge, and guidelines for its use.
The data implied the need to extend leadership communication to include all
employees. Some employees noted the lack of connection to the company strategy or big
122
picture. Instead of the traditional top-down approach, many would appreciate getting the
information or strategy directly. Associates would also prefer face-to-face
communication as often as possible. Follow-up research could determine the
effectiveness of having all employees involved in leadership updates by studying a group
that would have direct access to leader communications and comparing the performance
of this group versus the performance of a group that only hears the information indirectly.
Another implication from the study is a need to grow collaboration forums by
promoting them and setting up guidelines. Many of the Millennial participants expressed
interest and delight in engaging in forums at work and outside of work. The forums,
where implemented, allowed for faster and broader communication, answers to questions,
and exchange of information and innovative ideas. Additionally, other study’s that track
the progress of the employees that participate in the forums and the number of ideas
generated from such forums could serve management and leadership communities as well
as employees overall.
Conclusions
This case study was designed to study leadership communication through
significant changes in the corporate environment. Data were collected from 17
respondents and analyzed through the lens of four theoretical frameworks. Emergent
themes and patterns revealed 10 obvious themes relative to the theories discussed within
this qualitative study. While there is no set formula for creating effective communication
at work, the participants in this study as well as leaders and employees that were
observed provided information that helped identify some gaps and strategy to minimize
123
the effects. The significance of this study was that it exposed information that had not
previously been documented.
Good communication helps organizations succeed. Where corporate associates
communicate well, employee performance is improved. This study helped identify some
best practices and strategy for improved use and effectiveness of tools and technology
and educate participants and anyone exposed to it. As corporate employees think about
global strategy they can leverage the information learned in this study to help influence
positive change and better employee performance.
124
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Appendix A: Observation Worksheet
Observation Notes Observation
Interpretations What technology/social media or other tools are used to facilitate communication? How do participants interact throughout the meeting/ discussion? (Leadership panel, leader to participants, guest presenter, participant to leader, participant to participant) Are participants in the same location? Are all participants in the same time zone? Are some participants on a telephone call/conference? Is there a web presentation? Are there PowerPoint presentations? Is video technology used? (Telepresence, video teleconference, video streaming, video recording, Skype?) Can participants participate using mobile technology? Is collaboration software used? What other meeting materials are used? Is there opportunity for participants to ask/answer questions?
Does subject matter include global company, globalization, and/or world? Does subject matter include social technology, social networking, and/or social media? Does subject matter include mobility, mobile technology, mobile usage, and/or mobile tools? Does subject matter include changes or impacts of globalization, social media, or technology over time? Does subject matter include organizational changes, organizational performance, or organizational impacts? Who discusses the topics? Employee? Leader? Both?
Do participants express ideas/topics/answers clearly? Is there a two-way flow of information? What methods are used to ensure clarity of information, performance, and tasks? Does communication appear to be executed effectively?
How many forms of communication are incorporated into the discussion? Do the participants/leaders always use the same format? Is there any difference in method or style observed from previous meetings? How do new communication tools facilitate or complicate communication? Is communication more or less effective when leveraging social media, mobile technology, both?
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Observation Notes Observation Interpretations
Is there good leader communication? What changes are observed or experienced in leadership communication style? Are participants engaged in two-way conversation with employees/leaders? Is it effective (how do you know it’s effective)? Do globalization, social media, and mobile technology factors allow for more effective communication? How does this meeting compare to other meetings? (Number of participants, employee grade level of participants, proximity of participants, engagement of participants)
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Appendix B: Interview Questions
Category Question
Workplace
1. Do you consider the company global? 2. How do you think the globalization of your company has influenced
the way you work? 3. How does mobile technology influence the way you work? 4. How has social media influenced the way you work? 5. What changes have you experienced as a result of mobile technology
and social media? 6. Have globalization, mobile technology, and social media changed the
communication style of company leadership?
Communication
7. In what ways has social media influenced company leader communication?
8. How have company leaders used mobile technology in the last three years?
9. Do you use your smart phone, social media, or tablet at work? For work purposes?
10. How does mobile technology impact the work that you do? 11. How has the company used social media in the last three years? 12. How has social media impacted the work that you do?
Associate Role Impacts 13. How do globalization, technology, and social media impact leadership communication effectiveness in your role?
14. What makes a good leader? 15. What changes have you experienced in leadership communication
over the last three years in your organization? 16. What changes have you experienced in leadership communication
with senior executives over the last three years?
Communication Changes Experienced or Observed
17. How are leadership communication styles different than the communication you yourself use in your daily tasks at work?
18. How do social media and mobile technology impact work communication?
19. What changes have you observed in the last three years in communicating with employees across the globe?
20. What changes do you expect to see in the near future?
Job Performance
21. How much communication is needed to implement tasks you perform?
22. How are tasks implemented most effectively when working with associates globally?
23. Has communication become more complex or easier due to these factors?
24. In what ways has communication changed in the last three years? 25. How much of the change do you feel is attributable to globalization?
Mobile technology? Social technology?
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Category Question 26. What changes have you experienced with respect to leader
communication? 27. How have these factors changed organizational communication?
Collaboration
28. How have collaboration tools impacted the way you work? Has their use increased over the last three years?
29. In what ways have collaboration tools been used most effectively? 30. Are there other uses for collaboration tools that are not being used? 31. Are collaboration forums necessary for effective communication in
your organization?
Globalization and Diversity
32. Do globalization, technology, and social media collectively influence the way you work?
33. Have globalization, technology, and social media influenced the way you work with different demographic groups?
34. Do you work differently with various employees to be more productive?
Organizational Communication
35. Have you observed or experienced changes in leadership communication style in the past three years?
36. Do you engage in two-way conversations with employees? 37. Do globalization, social media and mobile technology factors allow
for more effective communications? 38. Are certain communication methods or styles more effective than
others for leaders, individual contributors, or both? 39. How often do you hear from leadership? Do you feel that it is
adequate? 40. Can current leaders communicate more effectively? How? 41. How do new communication tools facilitate or complicate
communication? 42. Is communication more or less effective when leveraging social
media, mobile technology, both?
Leadership
43. Do you feel you could influence changes that could make you or your organization more effective? What are some of the challenges you face?
44. Are globalization, mobile technology, and social media changing leadership influence?
45. How do globalization, mobile technology, and social media influence leadership communication style for Millennials? Is the impact of the three combined greater than the individual impact?
46. What do you think about your current leadership and their use of the latest mobile technology and social media?
47. How can leaders [you] leverage technology and media innovation in ways that make them more successful?
48. How can company leaders work better with Millennials?
Organizational Effectiveness
49. Do you feel that you are as effective as you could be in your current role?
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Category Question 50. Do you feel that your organization is as effective as it could be? 51. What do you consider the biggest hurdle or change that you face in
being more effective in your current role? 52. How can mobile technology and social media be used optimally at
work?
Opportunities
53. What are some opportunities to use mobile technology differently? 54. How can leaders work better with employees overall? 55. How can leaders work better with Millennials?
Demographic Info
56. Are you part of the Millennial demographic (born between 1977 and 2000)?
57. How long have you been employed at the company?
Technology Savvy
58. Do you own a smart phone? How often do you use it? 59. Do you have active social media accounts? How many? How often
do you use them? 60. Do you own a tablet? How often do you use it?
Employment Information 61. What is the most common way that you attain information at work?
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Appendix C: Letter of Cooperation from a Community Research Partner
The Company Contact Information Date Dear Rasheedah Dunston, Based on my review of your research proposal, I give permission for you to conduct the study entitled The Possible Impact of Globalization, Mobile Technology, and Social Media on Leadership Communication Involving Millennials within the company. As part of this study, I authorize you to recruit employees for interviews, observe meetings and other communication forums to collect data, and use nonproprietary company data for triangulation and analysis as part of the study. The results will be reported as part of this study. Individuals’ participation will be voluntary and at their own discretion. We understand that our organization’s responsibilities include: allowing use of personnel, rooms, and resources that the partner will provide at various sites within the company. We reserve the right to withdraw from the study at any time if our circumstances change. I confirm that I am authorized to approve research in this setting. I understand that the data collected will remain entirely confidential and may not be provided to anyone outside of the research team without permission from the Walden University IRB. Sincerely, Authorization Official Contact Information Walden University policy on electronic signatures: An electronic signature is just as valid as a written signature as long as both parties have agreed to conduct the transaction electronically. Electronic signatures are regulated by the Uniform Electronic Transactions Act. Electronic signatures are only valid when the signer is either (a) the sender of the email, or (b) copied on the email containing the signed document. Legally an “electronic signature” can be the person’s typed name, their email address, or any other identifying marker. Walden University staff will verify any electronic signatures that do not originate from a password-protected source (i.e., an email address officially on file with Walden).
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Appendix D: Informed Consent Form for Interviews
You are invited to take part in a research study of the possible impact of globalization, mobile technology, and social media on leadership communication involving Millennials. The researcher is inviting company leaders and/or employees that fit the Millennial demographic to be in the study. This form is part of a process called “informed consent” to allow you to understand this study before deciding whether to take part. This study is being conducted by a researcher named Rasheedah Dunston, who is a doctoral student at Walden University. You may already know the researcher as a Director, but this study is separate from that role. Background Information: The purpose of this study is to build on theories about effective communication using a case study methodology to assess Millennial employees and leaders in a Fortune 100 company to determine their preferred leadership communication style in light of globalization, mobile technology, and social media. Procedures: If you agree to be in this study, you will be asked to:
• Participate in an interview that requires about 60-90 minutes of your time. Here are some sample questions:
o How do you think the globalization of your company has influenced the way you work?
o In what ways has social media influenced company leader communication?
• Be available for future follow-up questions, clarification, and review of your responses.
Voluntary Nature of the Study: This study is voluntary. Everyone will respect your decision of whether or not you choose to be in the study. No one at the company will treat you differently if you decide not to be in the study. If you decide to join the study now, you can still change your mind later. You may stop at any time. Risks and Benefits of Being in the Study: Being in this study would not pose risk to your job, safety, or well-being. The potential benefits of being in this study and sharing your valuable perspective would help me produce new information about how globalization, Millennials, social media, and mobile technology use might impact leadership communication style and effectiveness. Payment:
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There is no compensation for participating in this questionnaire. Privacy: Any information you provide will be kept confidential. Your identity will not be used in this study. The researcher will not use your personal information for any purposes outside of this research project. You will be given an opportunity to review your answers after it is transcribed to an electronic format. Also, the researcher will not include your name or anything else that could identify you in the study reports. Data will be kept secure by only allowing one person, the researcher, to review the raw data. It will be stored on my personal devices, which will be kept secure at all times. Data will be kept for a period of at least 5 years, as required by the university. Contacts and Questions: You may ask any questions you have now. Or if you have questions later, you may contact the researcher via phone or email. If you want to talk privately about your rights as a participant, you can call the Walden University representative who can discuss this with you. Walden University’s approval number for this study is 02-10-14-0225043 and it expires on February 1, 2016. Please print or save this consent form for your records. Statement of Consent: I have read the above information and I feel I understand the study well enough to make a decision about my involvement. By replying to this email with the words, “I consent,” I understand that I am agreeing to the terms described above.